


Boy Nature

by hyunshalo



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 00 line + jeongin, AU, Alternate Universe - High School, Han - Freeform, M/M, Magic, Mother Nature - Freeform, Nature, Supernatural - Freeform, Weather Control, Winter, dinosaur pee, felix lee - Freeform, han jisung - Freeform, hi i’m new-ish be nice pls or i’ll cry, hwang hyunjin - Freeform, hyunjin is a magical being, hyunjin is an innocent precious bean and must be protected at all costs, i.n - Freeform, idk what to tag rip, jeongin lowkey tsundere sorry i’m projecting, kim seungmin - Freeform, oh yh kind of christmas vibes ish, okay ty for reading bye, stray kids - Freeform, stray kids world domination, when you want to write a one shot but you waffle too much, yang jeongin - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 33,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27881801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyunshalo/pseuds/hyunshalo
Summary: Jeongin was never one to really care about the planet and preserving it. I mean, he only had a few more decades on Earth before he would eventually waste away into the soil, right? And what’s with all the natural disasters, anyway? What use was saving a planet that couldn’t save its people? That’s what he always thought, and he would stand by his beliefs for as long as he could maintain them. It didn’t last though, not when he was fooling around in the woods one day and accidentally woke up a sleeping creature known as Boy Nature. Amongst the chaos of dealing with having unleashed an overpowering, weather manipulating forest critter who knew nothing about the modern world, he discovers the beauty in the elements around him and how easy it is to find joy in the most basic necessities of life. Especially when he has someone to guide him along the way.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Comments: 38
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [changbinloml](https://archiveofourown.org/users/changbinloml/gifts).



> hii so this was inspired by a short convo I had with my friend and I came up with this concept as a joke but then I couldn’t stop developing it in my head so here you go. I’ve only posted like one thing on here so idk if anyone is even gonna read this but I had fun writing it so yay enjoy if you do decide to read it, okay that is all ty :)

Jeongin wasn’t much of an environmentalist. It wasn’t that he had anything against the activist mentality, but more that he didn’t really understand it. He could get behind not littering on the street, as that would prevent accidental tripping and just overall make the streets look cleaner and more inviting to walk across. However, his brain simply couldn’t comprehend walking instead of taking the bus, or reducing his water usage. If carbon emission was making the polar ice caps melt, then why was Jeongin’s room freezing every morning when he woke up for school? And, they’d learnt in science that all the water on the earth had been there since as long as when the dinosaurs were drinking it, so was it really wasting water to let it flow down the drain if it was just going to be recycled again? That specific lesson on the water cycle did beg the question though, to Jeongin’s friend Jisung, if dinosaurs didn’t have a sewage system the way we do now, then did that mean the water they drink was once unfiltered dinosaur pee? Jeongin was grossed out enough by that to swear off water for the rest of his life, until he realised he would literally die if he did that. He resorted to only drinking bottled water from then on, further backing up the point that Jeongin was far from an environmentalist. The phrase “nature is beautiful” meant as much to him as “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”: absolutely nothing.

That was until he met Boy Nature, himself. 

Monday morning, Jeongin shrugged off his thick parka jacket, feeling the warm heat of his form room vibrate the cold out of him. If there was one thing Jeongin hated more than learning about poetry devices, it was cold weather. He didn’t trust anyone who claimed to love winter over summer, convinced they were just blinded by the holiday cheer that December used to overshadow the fact his toes were turning blue. Not that Jeongin had much love for the summer either, it was unnecessarily hot to the point your body would secrete liquid, which he thought was a bit of an overkill from the sun. Jeongin took his regular seat against the windowed wall, nearer to the back of the room than the front, more people filing in as the school day was about to begin. Through the doorway, two of his friends, Felix and Seungmin, made their way directly towards Jeongin. The boys greeted each other, Felix taking a seat next to Jeongin, and Seungmin sitting in front of Jeongin, his massive camera swinging from his neck like a necklace, the camera lens glaring like a jewel. Seungmin checked his watch, glancing back at the door. “Do you think he’ll make it?” 

Jeongin’s eyes fluttered up momentarily from the small pocket notebook he was shading grey with a pencil, to look at where Seungmin had his attention, before bringing his pupils back down to the graphite filled page in front of him. “He always does, doesn’t he?” 

With half a minute to spare until registration would officially commence, Han Jisung rolled into the classroom, his hair a fluffy mess and tie askew. “Did I make it?” 

“You made it!” Felix yelled back, causing Jisung to whoop and holler, sauntering over to them. He shot a finger at their tired form tutor who was standing at the front with a bored expression, before falling into the seat beside Seungmin. 

“What’s going on, lads?” He grinned, pulling his backpack off and throwing it haphazardly on the desk without looking.

“Felix stayed up all night playing Genshin Impact, so he didn’t do the maths homework.” Seungmin revealed, fiddling with the settings on his camera. This caused Felix to yell out a profanity, their teacher berating him half heartedly, as he dug through his backpack to find his maths exercise book, flipping frantically to a page filled with empty, unfinished equations. Still staring at his camera, Seungmin held out his own maths exercise book to Felix, with the answers to the questions, and Felix took it without looking, the both of them knowing this exchange was going to be inevitable so no formalities were needed. 

Jisung let out a laugh. “Hah, I haven’t played in almost two days, I need to get back on that.” Felix’s head shot up at him. 

“Meet on discord after school today, and we can game?” 

Jeongin let out a soft scoff. “You’re obsessed.”

Felix spluttered, defensively. “I’m not obsessed. So what, I like to treat myself to a few hours of gaming now and then, you know it’s so hard being a student-“

“Maths homework.” Seungmin reminded him, still flicking through the pictures on his camera that he took on the way to school, causing Felix to stop abruptly and put his head back down. Seungmin cherished his camera as if he had given birth to it himself, it was his most prized possession and he had to sell an arm and a leg to get the exact model he had cradled in his grasp. Jisung shook his head in amusement at the antics. 

“Okay so, Genshin after school. Are you two joining?” He addressed Seungmin and Jeongin. 

“No, we can’t. We have photography club.” Seungmin answered for the both of them. Now it was Jeongin’s turn to shoot his head up. 

“Is that today?”

Seungmin finally pried his eyes away from his beloved picture-taking device to give his friend a questioning look. “Yes? Every Monday after school? We literally went last week.”

“Right.” Jeongin chuckled awkwardly. Truth be told, Jeongin wasn’t very fond of photography, but Seungmin was so over-the-moon elated when he found out their school was going to start a club for it, that he begged his friends to join. None of them saw much of an appeal, but they drew straws and Jeongin ended up agreeing to sign up with Seungmin as support. He didn’t mind it for the most part, but as winter was fast approaching and a lot of their tasks seemed to end up with them venturing into the outside, rather than staying inside where the radiators and insulated walls were, he dreaded it more and more every week. “Can’t wait.”

Almost as if he didn’t have to wait, time flew by until the final bell of the day rang, Seungmin and Jeongin making their way to the art room. There weren’t many members of the photography club in their year, most of them were younger students who just thought it was cool to be able to use a real camera, as the school supplied them. Of course, Seungmin brought his own. Jeongin couldn’t even remember if he’d ever held one. 

After a brief introduction to the task for the session, the group made their way out to the woods that lined the back of the school, past the field. They had been working on a project to do with seasons, capturing nature every week to eventually compile it all together by summertime. Jeongin dug his hands deep in his pockets, feeling the sides of his jaw tingle with the cold air hitting him in the face. His mouth bearing an unconscious scowl, he followed Seungmin down a random trail, the rest of the group having split up to go their various ways. Jeongin had to admit, walking through the woods was oddly calming. Maybe it had something to do with the freshness of the air, or the vastness of the sky which was covered as if they were in a dome made by a white quilt, like the dens you would make as a child. His feet crunched against the fallen twigs and dry leaves, leading him to try and catch up with Seungmin who was more in his element than he’d like to admit. 

The two had reached an opening, where there were clusters of trees encircling an empty space which dipped in the middle slightly. Jeongin concluded it must have been used for a campfire once as there were random logs placed lazily around the dip, which was a slightly different colour than the rest of the mud. Seungmin gawked at the image before him, quickly taking shots wherever he could, while Jeongin stood off to the side, reciting the Bee Movie script in his head.  
He had to give it to Seungmin, it was nice to see someone so passionate about something. Jeongin started to ponder if he would ever find something that he could love just as much as Seungmin loved photography. 

It had been half an hour before the cold became too unbearable for Jeongin. “Are you done yet, can we go now?” As usual, Seungmin merely waved him off, adjusting the focus on his camera as he tried to get a shot of a squirrel in a tree. “Haha, Jisung what are you doing here?”

Seungmin let out a laugh under his breath at that, but the majority of his attention was on trying to get the best shot he could. Jeongin groaned, trudging over to the tree, his echoing footsteps having scared off the creature, it leaping off into the distance. “Jeongin, you idiot! You scared it off.” Jeongin simply shrugged, nudging him with his elbow. 

“Come, let’s go back now. You’ve got plenty of shots.” He urged, but Seungmin shook his head profusely. 

“No, I want to get some pictures of this tree first, then we can go.” 

The tree in question was this beautiful, sleek oak tree which was standing before the two boys. It had an unusually smooth trunk, lighter in colour than most oak trees you would find. Its leaves were a mustard yellow, tinging orange at the edges. The branches were sticking out evenly, creating a gorgeous dome of amber around them. It wasn’t the tallest tree in the woods, but it was definitely one of the oldest. Due to its distinct look, it couldn’t help but stand out from the lacklustre forest evergreen, meaning Seungmin couldn’t help but want to capture its prime beauty in all its autumnal glory. Even Jeongin couldn’t deny: it was breathtaking. 

He cracked a grin. “Hey, take a picture of me with the tree!”

Seungmin rolled his eyes, sighing at the raven haired boy who bounded over to the tree. “That’s not part of the project. No people, just nature.”

“Just take them for me, I could post them on my Instagram.” Jeongin tutted, and Seungmin reluctantly strode over to take some quick pictures if it would make Jeongin leave him alone for the next twenty minutes. Bringing the camera up to his face, he waited for Jeongin to pose. 

Jeongin went behind the tree, peeking his head out with a dimpled smile, that was shot one. He then moved away and looked up at the tree thoughtfully with his finger on his chin, that was shot two. Proceeding on, Jeongin hugged the tree like he had just been reunited with his long lost lover, that was shot three. 

“Okay, is that enough?” Seungmin let out a heavy breath, checking how much storage was left on his memory card. 

“No, no, one more, I just thought of a good one.” Jeongin guffawed, holding his hands on either side of the tree, staring into the bark with as much passion as he could muster before leaning forward and pressing his lips against the wood. He fell away, stumbling over to Seungmin, as he wiped his mouth on his blazer sleeve, realising he had no idea what kind of animals had been climbing up and down that tree, doubling over in laughter.

“That’s disgusting.” Seungmin commented, but he couldn’t help laugh with him. “Alright, let me take some pictures and then we can... what the...”

Jeongin tilted his head in confusion at his friend who was staring over his shoulder, eyes wide and mouth shaped into a small circle. A shaky finger came up, pointing behind him which finally made Jeongin turn to see what the fuss was all about. “What the hell?”

The wind hadn’t been that strong earlier, but all of a sudden it picked up tremendously, the leaves of the oak tree rustling almost violently, dirt and twigs swirling around them. Jeongin brought an arm up to protect his eyes while Seungmin, thinking quickly as he always did, pressed his camera to his face, taking pictures of the event that was about to happen. It was a good thing he did, otherwise no one would have believed them if they told them what happened next. 

The leaves of the oak tree started to shrink and crinkle back in to the branches, and then the branches shrunk back into the trunk, a thick fog surrounding the trunk, whirling with such force it pushed Jeongin and Seungmin off their feet, Seungmin’s camera falling out of his hands. Scrambling for it quickly so he wouldn’t miss a second of the phenomenon, he was just in time to record the moment right before the fog cleared away, and the moment after. The wind settled, as did the forest fallout that littered the ground again. Jeongin coughed hoarsely, feelings his lungs lined with dirt, before he helped himself get up. Brushing himself off, he looked through the fog with squinted eyes, until it had completely dispersed, the sight of what was standing in front of him completely shaking him out of his body. 

A boy.


	2. Chapter 2

When Jeongin was seven, he begged his parents to take him to the opticians because he was convinced he was losing his eyesight. Once he was actually at his appointment, he realised what a grave mistake he made when he saw the air-puff tonometer staring him right in the eye. Long story short, he fell out of his chair the second he felt a burst of air hit his cornea, screaming and scrambling away in terror. All of a sudden, Jeongin was sure he had perfect vision, something his parents weren’t happy with in the slightest. In digression, the point of this tangent was to iterate and clearly state the fact that Jeongin had twenty-twenty vision, and has had twenty-twenty vision since he was seven years old. So, it came to an intense surprise to him, when he witnessed a tree turn into a human being. Now, Jeongin was convinced he was losing his mind.

Seungmin was still sitting on the ground, staring up at what was standing in front of them, his camera long forgotten about. Neither of them moved, as all they could do was gape in paralysis. 

The person who was receiving the attention of their marvel blinked rapidly, as he took in his surroundings. His hair was blonde and almost reached his shoulders, like neat wisps shaved from a block of gold by a Michelin-star chef to be served as garnish, not a single strand out of place due to the crown-like wreath of the same yellow oak leaves the tree had presented placed atop his locks. His body was donning an off-white smock which fell to his knees, but everything past the hem was bare, his toes wiggling into the mud. The arms were also bare, something he must have been suddenly aware of as his hands moved up, rubbing at the goosebumps. 

Jeongin was jolted back to reality from ogling him, when Seungmin hit his shoulder with the back of his hand. “Give them your jacket.”

“What?!”

Seungmin gave Jeongin a look. “They’re freezing, don’t be an asshole.”

“I’m freezing too!” He blurted out, defensively. Seungmin groaned, removing his own jacket. “Besides, can we talk about what just happened?! Did that really just happen?! I... what?!” 

As he was going over to wrap the jacket around the boy’s shoulders, his eyes snapped to Seungmin and stared at him in fright, taking a step back. “Who are you? And... why am I _here_?” Jeongin noted the way he said “here”. 

Seungmin held his hands up, pausing his footsteps. “We’re not going to hurt you, okay? What’s your name?” After a moment of silence, he muttered the seven letter word. “Hyunjin? Okay, well, I’m Seungmin. And, this is Jeongin. We don’t know why you’re here, but you look cold so I’m going to give you this jacket. Is that okay?”

Hyunjin eyed up the jacket in curiosity, Seungmin taking that as a go sign. He crept closer, draping the padding around the boy, Hyunjin stiffening in the unfamiliarity. He soon relaxed, though, when he felt his skin warm up. Seungmin relaxed too, turning to share a look with Jeongin who was still wearing the same shocked expression from before. Realising he was going to have to take the reins, Seungmin started to lead a timid Hyunjin out of the woods to some place warmer and more comfortable. And maybe find him a pair of shoes. Jeongin yelled after them. “How are you so calm about this?! The tree turned into a human and your first concern is if they’re going to catch hypothermia or not?!” 

Honestly, it wasn’t really in Seungmin’s nature to panic. He was more of the type to assess the situation and call to action whatever issue needed prioritising more. He wasn’t sure if what he saw was even real, a large part of him firmly believing that he was asleep and dreaming, that his alarm would soon chime to wake him up for another dreadful school day, but what he was sure of was that, lucid dream or not, there was a person shivering in the cold and he needed to get them someplace safe. Jeongin finally relented, following after them, not before swinging his body around to stare at the space where the tree had inhabited barely a few minutes ago in sheer bewilderment.

Seungmin set down a mug of hot chocolate from the town’s famous Joe’s Java in front of Hyunjin, who was staring around the interior of the coffee shop with peculiar eyes, as Jeongin was staring at _him_ with peculiar eyes. It was still insanely bizarre to him, how calmly Seungmin was reacting, but he couldn’t deny that it was helping Jeongin stay calm, too. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of Hyunjin almost the entire time, though, from walking to the shop from the woods to when Seungmin left them alone to go get Hyunjin something that would warm him up. It wasn’t until then, did he notice that Hyunjin’s eyes were green, but not the regular blueish-green most people were born with. His eyes were a forest green, however they seemed dull, the type of dull a brass instrument often bared: where it was once shiny and sparkling but had lost it’s glimmer due to neglect and poor maintenance. Jeongin’s brain was in turbo mode, trying to find any plausible explanation for what happened, that didn’t involve magic or the supernatural. He couldn’t find one. At the clink of the ceramic touching the table, Hyunjin looked down in to the frothy beverage, eyebrows furrowing slightly. “Thank you kind sir, but what is this?” 

“Kind sir?” Jeongin mouthed judgingly, as Seungmin stated what it was, tilting his head when the confusion never left Hyunjin’s face. 

“You’ve never heard of hot chocolate?” Hyunjin shook his head. “Taste it.” Hyunjin stared at Seungmin. “Yeah, it’s a drink. Pick up the mug with your hand and put it to your lips.” Hesitatingly, Hyunjin brought his hand over the rounded handle of the mug, bending his fingers so he could hold it in his grasp, lifting it slowly until he could taste the warm, sweet milky goodness. A smile spread his lips, the drink gathering on his cupid’s bow. 

“It is heavenly.”

Seungmin grinned at his reaction, before frowning again, eyes locked on his camera which he spent the last fifteen minutes trying to clean thoroughly of dirt and any ants that may have crawled through the crevices from when he dropped it earlier. Jeongin leaned forward in the secluded booth they managed to bag in the far corner of the shop. “So... what are you?”

Hyunjin startled, fidgeting awkwardly. Seungmin tutted at Jeongin. “Let me handle this. Do you know anything about what happened in the woods? Like, what’s the last thing you remember?” 

Hyunjin spoke softly. “I do not remember anything. All I am aware of is that, I am called by the name Hyunjin. That is all.” 

“Why- why do you talk like that?” Jeongin asked bluntly, and Seungmin glared at him in distaste. Jeongin shrugged innocently, going back to ripping open sugar sachets and emptying them on to the table. He dragged a finger through the granules, drawing shapes. 

“Are you sure you don’t remember anything else? Maybe, how this was even possible? You...” Seungmin took in a deep breath. “You were... a tree, one second and then Jeongin...” He trailed off, noting how Jeongin’s finger had halted mid-swipe at what he anticipated Seungmin was going to say next. “Um, Jeongin was taking pictures with the tree- I mean, you... and the next second... Human.” 

That was when Jeongin remembered something. “Hang on, you asked why were you _here_? What did that mean?”

Hyunjin looked away anxiously, causing even Seungmin to become alert at his coyness. Finally, he looked back again. “It is possible I have not been entirely truthful with you, my apologies.”

“Yeah, okay, get to the point.” Jeongin urged, Seungmin not bothering to berate him this time, as he had given up on him and his lack of tact. 

“There is one memory I am currently in possession of, but I am sworn to secrecy of the utmost degree.” 

“We literally saw you transform from a plant to a dude, I don’t think there are any secrets left to keep.” Jeongin joked. 

The table suddenly fell tense as Hyunjin bounced eye contact between the two boys beside him, when the bell at the top of the front door to Joe’s Java rang, and a pair of bustling teenage boys entered. “Yo, Jeongin! Seungmin!”

Before anyone could breathe, Felix and Jisung appeared at the booth, already sliding into their seats. Except for Felix, who was the first to notice Hyunjin. “Hi? Who’s this?” He asked his friends and they exchanged alarmed looks. 

“We’ll explain later.” Jeongin said, finally, Felix pulling up a random stool from a table. “It’s kind of a long, unbelievable story. But we have picture proof, right Seungmin?” They all glanced to Seungmin, who was still delicately wiping at his electronic child. 

“Uh, yeah, I just need to get it professionally cleaned. I don’t want to accidentally miss a speck of dirt anywhere. Actually, I think I’ll take it right now.” He jumped up, considering the technology store was just next door, sliding past Felix. 

“Woah, wait, what happened to your camera?” Jisung questioned, utterly confused. Seungmin and Jeongin looked at each other again. 

“It’s a long story.” 

Jeongin suddenly realised what was happening. “Wait, you’re leaving Hyunjin with me?!” 

“No, I’m leaving Hyunjin with you _and Felix and Jisung_.” Seungmin waved goodbye, before skipping out the coffee shop, Jeongin holding back profanities. Felix took Seungmin’s place. 

“Hey, I’m Felix, and this is Jisung. I’m guessing you’re Hyunjin?” He smiled, before taking in his outfit. “Woah, did you just come back from a costume party?” Hyunjin stared at Felix. “No? Okay, you just like dressing like that?” He looked to Jeongin. “Where did you find this guy?”

“In the woods.” Jeongin answered, truthfully. 

“Is he homeless?” Jisung asked, genuinely. 

Jeongin thought about it. “I think he lives in the woods.” He turned to Hyunjin. “How long have you... _been in the woods_?”

Hyunjin bit his lip nervously. “I do not have that information, but I do have something to confess to you, Jeongin.” They all waited expectantly, when they heard someone yell from the counter.

“I’m sorry, okay? The hot water machine won’t turn on! What am I supposed to do about it?!” 

“What is the matter?” Hyunjin requested, watching the mob of people crowd the barista in worry, a mere countertop separating them. 

“Oh, that? The hot water machine in here is like a McFlurry machine at McDonald’s. It never works.” Jisung explained, jerking a thumb toward the commotion. “It happens all the time, it’s no big deal.”

Jeongin was still playing with the sugar on the table, when he noticed it started to bounce across the surface, but it wasn’t his doing. It didn’t take him too long to realise, the table was shaking slightly. Slowly bringing his head up, Jeongin looked in front of him at Hyunjin who had his eyes closed, like he was concentrating on something. Peering closely, he studied the boy until a loud whistle sounded from the other side of the shop. Every other sound had halted, all of the attention falling on the water boiler which was suddenly releasing a thick line of steam, squealing urgently. The barista, amongst all the madness and confusion, tried to lift the lid of the machine, it completely slipping her mind to wear a protective glove as the metal contraption had been stone cold a second ago. She let out a yelp, clutching her scalding hand to her chest as more cries left her mouth. The once rowdy crowd had suddenly become attentive, as well as some being confused at the sudden occurrence. 

Jeongin switched his attention back to Hyunjin, just in time to see him gasp, eyes prying open in panic. Jeongin’s entire hand slipped through the sugar in consternation. 

“Guys, we need to go. We need to go right now.” 

He didn’t even let Jisung or Felix question it, as he hurried the group outside, making sure Hyunjin’s head was dipped down, the customers too concerned about the injured barista or their unmade coffees. Just as they had returned to the cold outdoors Seungmin had also left the technology shop, minus his camera. 

“Oh, hey. The guy said it would take a couple hours so- what’s going on?” Jeongin ignored him and added him to his herd instead, dragging them to the only place he could think of going at that moment: the campfire site. 

“Why, the hell, did you drag us all the way out here?” Jisung demanded, eyes wandering around the enclosed area suspiciously. 

Jeongin let out a heavy breath. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I didn’t want our entire town to see Hyunjin go Hulk.”

“Go Hulk? What are you talking about?” Seungmin demanded, until he saw what Jeongin was talking about. 

Hyunjin raised his head, his eyelids fluttering open to reveal the bright emerald flame that coloured his irises, a colour so bright and ferocious that no human had ever been seen to possess. 

“Holy shit.” Jisung breathed, the four boys circling Hyunjin who looked at a loss. He knew there was no hiding it now. He turned to Jeongin. 

“I see I must really, truly confess now.” He sighed, dipping his head once again, but this time in shame. “Forgive me, Mother Nature, but I cannot keep this to myself any longer.”

“Mother Nature?” Jeongin echoed.

Hyunjin nodded apprehensively. “Mother Nature. _My_ mother.”

“Your mother is Mother Nature?” Felix repeated. “Huh?”

“My given name is Hyunjin. However... I am also called by a different name. I am Boy Nature, son of Father and Mother Nature.”

The only thought going through Jeongin’s mind at that moment was: what in the world had he done?


	3. Chapter 3

“And I’m Boy Teresa, son of Father and Mother Teresa.” 

Felix whacked the back of Jisung’s head lightly. “Don’t be an idiot.”

“What?! I thought we were making jokes?!” Jisung tried to justify, rubbing the spot Felix had attacked with a pouty face. “You don’t actually believe this guy, do you?”

Felix hesitated exasperatedly. “I don’t know?! I mean, look at his eyes! I’ve never seen eyes like that, not even contacts!” He noticed Seungmin shiver, shaking his head like someone dropped an ice cube down his back. “What’s wrong with _you_?”

“Huh? It’s 6°C and I’m in a shirt and blazer, that’s what’s wrong. Hey, give me your jacket.” Felix stared at him incredulously. 

“No! Where’s yours?” Seungmin explained how he had given it to Hyunjin, who was clutching on to the fabric in trepidation, before moving closer to Felix to unzip _his_ jacket. Felix swat his hand away. “What the- why are you trying to undress me- you can’t have my jacket just because you gave yours to someone else, this isn’t Pass the Parka!”

Jeongin watched this exchange of words, dumbfounded, before he finally grew sick of the squabbling. “Okay, can you clowns shut up for one second and have a normal conversation about how the tree who turned into a boy is the child of Mother and Father Nature?! I didn’t even know there was a Father Nature!”

Jisung let out a mirthless laugh. “Don’t tell me you believe this too!”

Jeongin licked his lips frustratedly. “I normally wouldn’t but... you didn’t see it, okay? He was a tree, planted right there!” He pointed passed Jisung to the blank space where he had been taking pictures barely a few hours prior. “He was a tree, he was. Seungmin saw it too, and he has pictures! Seungmin!” Jeongin swirled his head in the direction of his friend in question, to see Felix had his arm around the front of Seungmin’s neck, pinning the boy’s head to his own shoulder, warning him to not try that again or he would show him what a black belt in taekwondo looked like. His tone was light and friendly, Felix known to not be the most intimidating person you’d ever come across, but his threats weren’t ones to be taken as softly as his personality. Jisung pulled Felix away with not much restraint, sighing at Jeongin. 

“Listen, if this is some prank that you and dumber over there,” He gestured to Seungmin, who was still coughing from the chokehold Felix had him in, “are trying to pull on us, you’re gonna have to come up with something better than _Boy Nature_.” Jisung snickered at the prospect that Jeongin and Seungmin thought he or Felix would fall for such a scheme. His laughter faded when he realised, “Where did he go?”

All four of them stopped whatever they were doing to finally notice Hyunjin had disappeared. “Are you kidding me?!” Jeongin cried, flailing his arms. “Come on, we have to go find him!” Seungmin ran after Jeongin who sped into the trees, Felix shrugging and following after him. Jisung rolled his eyes, but decided to humour them as he headed down the same path they had taken. 

After an unkept amount of time had passed, filled with Jeongin yelling Hyunjin’s name over and over, the boys arguing on whether they should split up or not, ultimately choosing not to as Felix was adamant that all horror movies started to go array the second the gang split up to go their own ways. Jeongin panted, dropping his palms to his knees while trying to catch something he could actually find: his breath. Jisung suggested they give up, if he ran away it was clearly for a reason and they didn’t even know the guy, but Jeongin strictly refused. He couldn’t tell if it was because he knew the truth about Hyunjin and wanted Han Jisung to eat his words, which he couldn’t do without Hyunjin, or if he was genuinely concerned for his wellbeing. He wasn’t sure what Hyunjin was capable of, but even a fool knows that Hyunjin was definitely not from their century. Maybe not even from the past millennium. He wouldn’t last a second in the modern world alone. Jeongin couldn’t help but blame himself, he was the last one to touch the tree. He must have done something to cause this to happen, and he needed to find out how to put things right. Starting with finding Hyunjin. 

Jeongin straightened up, rolling his shoulders back and staring absentmindedly into the distance, when he saw it. Hair woven like golden thread. “I see him! Come on!” 

Obeying Jeongin’s direction, they ended up in another closed off bubble in the woods, this time the trees were surrounding a well in the middle. Hyunjin was indeed there, hands planted on either side of the well’s wooden pulley system, half of his body bent over the deep hole. “Hyunjin?” Jeongin whispered, not wanting to startle him incase he slipped and fell inside. Hyunjin spun around, the first thing Jeongin noting was the wet stains on both his cheeks. 

Climbing down the step to join Jeongin, the others a few steps behind them, Hyunjin mustered up a sheepish smile. “If you could forgive me, amongst your debate, I had felt a sudden pulling in this direction.” His eyes flickered back to the well, trying to mask the sadness from his face and voice. “It appears that I have some melancholic connection to this well, but I cannot recall what the source could be.” 

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Jeongin pulled out a packet of tissues, offering one to Hyunjin. Hyunjin stared at the paper towel blankly. “For your face. Your tears.” Hyunjin blinked rapidly, pressing fingers to his face, almost as if he hadn’t realised he was crying. Eyes darting between the tissue and the salty solution on his fingertips, he finally reached forward and accepted the wipe. Jeongin couldn’t help but smile at how Hyunjin was amazed that a thin white square could absorb the moistness of his skin, finally swiping at his face once he realised the purpose of it. He didn’t know what hot chocolate was, and now he was astounded by a piece of tissue paper. Jeongin had to find out what time period he was from. 

“I thank you graciously, for your generosity, Jeongin.” He bowed his head slightly, a small smile curving his lips, Jeongin wanting to let out a giggle at his adorableness with being this grateful for a piece of tissue.

Instead, he dropped his own smile on purpose and coughed awkwardly. “Don’t mention it.” Hyunjin craned his head to acknowledge the other three who were watching the ordeal from a close distance. 

“How terribly awful of me, I do apologise sincerely to all of you for being a worry. And Seungmin, you were so kind and noble to me, alas I had not returned as much to you.”

“Ah, don’t even worry about it.” Seungmin assured nonchalantly, despite his teeth chattering, but Hyunjin shook his head. 

“No, I cannot allow this injustice to be held.” Hyunjin marched away from Jeongin, inspecting the trees surrounding them one at a time until he grinned at a specific one. An apple tree. The thing about this apple tree was that it had no apples on it. Jeongin, Jisung, Felix and Seungmin cautiously inched closer, watching what was about to unfold with tentative eyes. Almost like the trunk was made of fragile glass, Hyunjin delicately placed his fingertips to the bark, eyes clipping shut. A barely-there wind whooshed around them, Hyunjin’s hair flying back slightly as a low-hanging branch rustled above him. Seungmin had an instinct to move him out of the way in case the branch fell, but Jeongin stopped him with his arm, wanting to wait just a second. 

A small crack emerged in the wood, before a tiny sprout pushed through and, almost like they were watching a time lapse, the sprout quickly grew into a stem, developing the curved flesh of a macintosh apple, which was painted from a yellowish-white, to a deep red. Hyunjin gasped, as he had done in the coffee shop earlier, stumbling back from the tree, his eyes once again flaring the bright, glowing green they had turned before. Jumping up, he snatched the apple from its stem, calmly walking over to the group who had their jaws slack in various sizes. He presented the apple to Seungmin. “A gift, from me to you.”

Seungmin felt like he couldn’t breathe, yet somehow found a way to stutter out a thank you, taking the apple into his grasp with an unstable grip. Hyunjin merely smiled, an undertone of pride in his features, pride in the fact he could show someone his abilities without the fear of being hunted or ostracised. It was risky, of course, but Hyunjin knew, despite it only having been a few several hours, that these boys wouldn’t hurt him.   
Jeongin snapped back to reality first, looking straight at Jisung to gage his reaction. Much to his sweet, sweet relief, Jisung was definitely convinced that this wasn’t a prank anymore.

“So, you can’t create a firestorm? Not even just a fire?”

The five of them had returned to the campfire site, despite Hyunjin showing a slight apprehension, before pretending like nothing was wrong. Jeongin eyed him weirdly but didn’t say anything on the matter. They had been throwing rapid fire questions at the boy, and he seemed more than happy to answer, each question getting wilder and more imaginative than the last, the boys wanting to know the full extent of Hyunjin’s powers. Hyunjin couldn’t help but feel excited at the opportunity to talk about these things, his answers getting longer and longer, piling on with detail. “Unfortunately or fortunately, whichever way you wish to see it, I cannot create a storm of fire. Nevertheless, I can create a fire, rather largely actually.” 

“Can you do it now?” Jisung elaborated, having changed his tune drastically. He was probably the most interested out of all of them, considering he was asking the most questions. 

Hyunjin breathed a laugh. “It can be concurred that due to my _situation_ , I am not at the best of my abilities. I must regain my strength, before I can attempt something like that again.”

“It was you, right? The one who made the water boil at Joe’s?” Seungmin realised. “Why did you do it?”

“I have the ability to sense elements around me. I could feel that the water in whatever that contraption was, and whatever reason it was of everyone’s concern, was cold. I concluded that they wanted it to be hot. I felt awfully for the girl who had been confined to take heed to the angry mob, I wanted to help her. I imagine I had only made things worse.” He mumbled the last part, disappointedly. 

“Why do you keep reacting to this place?” Jeongin finally asked, the question itching his scalp. “When you first transformed, you recognised this place immediately. Why is that?” 

A solemn expression shadowed Hyunjin’s face. “The reason for the pain that I bear for here is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. I can feel it. The pain. I merely cannot find where it is spurring from.” Everyone went quiet, Jeongin instantly feeling dread. It was clear to him that Hyunjin had been through a lot, more than even he knew himself. 

“Okay, not to be that person-“

“You’re always that person.” Felix interrupted Seungmin, who ignored him and continued. 

“-but, what do we do now? We can’t leave Hyunjin here by himself, and I can’t take him home without my parents asking a bazillion questions.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Felix agreed.

“I could take him back to mine?” Jisung offered. “My dad works until late today, and he usually sleeps in until noon so sneaking him in and out won’t be a problem.”

“What do we do about tomorrow? We have school, and even if we can find him a spare uniform, there’s no way we can get him past the head of year, let alone the rest of our year group.”

Jisung scoffed confidently. “Hah, don’t worry about that, fellas. You leave that one to me.” He crossed his arms behind his head, leaning back until he accidentally fell off the log he was sitting on. 

Trust Jisung with a plan, Jeongin thought, and you can expect it to go Han way or another.


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn’t that Jisung particularly lacked common sense, but that he often opted to not use it. That being said, he was quite the people person, usually knowing exactly what to say when the situation called for it, saving his, as well as his friends’ skins, countless times. You could depend on Jisung to serve as, almost like, a deus ex machina, pulling through at the end of the day, despite the forward impression he presented of a stumbling moron. Jeongin knew he could trust Jisung to look after Hyunjin, he wasn’t worried about that. What he _was_ worried about, though, was whatever supposedly foolproof operation he had etched out in his mind for sneaking Hyunjin into their school without anyone noticing an aureate-gold haired, virescent-green eyed stranger with features carved like Greek stone. And an unforgettably adorable smile. 

Jeongin stepped off the bus, following the swarm of school kids towards the entrance of their educational establishment, before turning sharply and skewing off the path. Spotting Seungmin and Felix, who he knew arrived together since they always accompanied each other on their walk to and from school, Jeongin unplugged his earphones to greet them behind a fern bush. “Did you bring it?” 

Pulling out the thin fabric from the front pocket of his backpack, Jeongin held it up, Seungmin’s vision transcending to see Jisung and Hyunjin walking towards them. In normal circumstances, Jisung would be seen wobbling along the road on his bicycle, however they were all fairly certain that Hyunjin didn’t know what one was, let alone how to ride one, resulting in the two walking to school also. Gone was the white dress and navy blue parka Hyunjin had been wearing the day before, the look reminding Felix all too much of Eleven from Stranger Things, and he was now sporting a white button-up shirt that was covered by a dark grey zipper hoodie, with a pair of black slacks that were a few inches too short, unsurprising as Hyunjin seemed to almost tower over all of them, including Jisung. On his feet, were a pair of black socks and the pair of trainers Seungmin found in the lost and found from yesterday. Jisung sighed once they met the other three, a hand clutching the front of the slanted strap of his school bag. “Alright, let’s do this. Gentlemen, do you have what I asked you to bring me?”

Seungmin made the first movements, opening his gym bag to pull out a slightly wrinkled blazer, their school emblem stitched to the chest pocket. After shaking it out, he handed it to Jisung, who helped Hyunjin disrobe the hoodie to replace it with the blazer. “I got it from my sister’s wardrobe.” Seungmin admitted, shrugging. His older sister was an alumni from their school so he assumed she wouldn’t even miss it. Jeongin went next, stepping forward to flip Hyunjin’s collar before slipping the tie he was holding over the nape of his neck, manipulating it into a usual Windsor knot. Hyunjin watched him carefully, paying attention to the way he pursed his lips to the side in concentration. It relaxed into a smile, Jeongin straightening out the aubergine tie so it covered the buttons of his shirt. 

“How do you feel?” He asked, his mind swirling with the conversations from yesterday, Hyunjin crying over the well, admitting to feeling pain from the campfire site. “Did you sleep okay? Did Jisung feed you? Do you even eat?”

Hyunjin let out a chuckle. “I slept well. And, yes, I do eat. I had a delicious concoction this morning named... _pizza_? It was glorious.” 

Jeongin glared at Jisung. “You gave him pizza for breakfast?”

“It was in the fridge!” Jisung raised his hands, innocently. Jeongin shook his head in disapproval, looking back at Hyunjin who was smiling shyly at him. Jeongin’s eyebrows knitted together weakly, before Hyunjin’s pupils traveled down and he realised he was still holding on to the tie. Dropping it like it was on fire, he scratched the back of his head getting out of the way so Felix could do his part. 

“Hi.” Felix gave Hyunjin a reassuring smile, clutching a round plastic case in one hand. “So, I think you’ve realised you don’t have eyes like ours. These are _contact lenses_ , they’re little pieces of plastic that are gonna let you have the same colour eyes as us. Don’t be alarmed, and make sure you keep your eyes open until I say you can blink, okay?” Hyunjin looked scared out of his mind. Felix took in a deep breath, instructing Hyunjin what to do as he placed the first contact in his eye. Hyunjin jolted back, eyes flickering open and closed.

“Woah, that looks sick.” Jisung commented on Hyunjin’s dual eye colours, one a dim green while the other was a dark brown. “Do you think it will hold up if he, you know, hulks out?”

“Let’s hope so.” Felix muttered, putting the next one in. The boys stood in a line to admire their work. Hyunjin looked like a regular teenage boy who went to their school. Exchanging high fives for doing the bare minimum, they appeared proud of the outcome. 

“Alright, you can’t avoid this any longer Sung. What’s this plan you’ve been brewing over for the last twelve hours?” Jeongin demanded, the five of them finally walking out from behind the bush, which would have looked strange to anyone who was passing them at that moment. 

“The plan, my friends... is that there isn’t one.”

They halted. One by one, they turned to Jisung, before bursting into scoldings. He shushed them, trying to explain his unexplainable thought process. “I thought long and hard about it, and I realised that the best thing for us to do is pretend like he’s always been a student here. Look at him and tell me he doesn’t look like one of us.” They all glanced at Hyunjin, who was tugging on his collar uncomfortably at the tightness. “Anyway...” He brought their attention back to him. “The kids in our year group? Idiots. And, our head of year? You think she knows every single student by heart? No chance. Trust me guys, hiding in plain sight is always the way to go.”

Seungmin exchanged a look with Felix, both of them silently agreeing that this was going to be a mess. 

They’d made it through the front doors and past the reception fine, everyone too drugged up on the lethargy that was Tuesday mornings to notice, or even care if they did notice. It wasn’t until they were making their way to their form room for morning registration, did Jisung spot the head of year marching their way, the sound of her boots getting louder and louder. As expected, Jisung panicked - clearly his plan of hiding in plain sight didn’t account for actually bumping into her - and swung around suddenly to run in the other direction. However, the boys who were following behind him didn’t catch the memo in time, causing them to topple like dominos. 

“Remind me to never trust Jisung with anything ever again in my life.” Seungmin cried out, grabbing his elbow which was stinging from hitting the floor. The commotion only caused everyone to turn towards them, including their head of year. She narrowed her eyes, stamping over to them. 

“What do you boys think you’re doing? Get up immediately.” They groaned and sighed, helping themselves as well as each other up, until she saw Hyunjin. “I’m sorry, who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”

This really was the last time they would trust Jisung to do anything ever again, Jeongin thought, anxiously staring at her. 

Hyunjin’s face was like a deer caught in headlights: innocently frightened. Jisung, thinking quickly, dropped his arm over Hyunjin’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “This is my cousin, Hyunjin. He’s transferred here. Today.” 

“Is that so?” She raised an eyebrow, hands clasped in front of her. “I haven’t received any documents that say anything of the sort.” 

“Well... I’m sure they just got lost. You know Royal Mail these days...” 

She sneered at him. “Hmm, why don’t you two boys come join me in my office and we can have a chat.” Spinning on her heel, she walked away, the five boys convinced that this was the end. 

Felix leaned in to Jisung for a bro-shake in assurance. “Don’t worry, you’ve got this. Who’s an A-star waffler?”

“I am.” Jisung nodded. 

Felix nodded back, patting his shoulder. “Yeah, you are. Now go before she comes back over here.” 

The rest of them watched Hyunjin and Jisung follow their head of year into her office, which might as well have been a lion’s den. Seungmin spoke up suddenly. “It’s actually good that Hyunjin isn’t here, because I have something to tell you. Unlike you two I do my homework, so last night after we all got home, I looked up Boy Nature on the Internet.”

“And?” Jeongin asked, his interest piqued abruptly. “Did you find anything?”

Seungmin shook his head. “I wasn’t expecting to find anything anyway, seeing as we’d never heard of Boy Nature, or Father Nature, until now. But... a lot came up for Mother Nature.” He ushered them away from the crowd, into a corner that they could still spy the office from. “Tales of Mother Nature date back to as far as the Middle Ages- though some would argue Ancient Greece- but, it would make sense since hot chocolate wasn’t introduced here until the sixteen-hundreds.”

“So, Hyunjin is from the Middle Ages?” Felix asked for clarification. 

“He could be.” Seungmin shrugged, carrying on. “Honestly, he could be older than that. Much older.”

“What do you mean?” Jeongin questioned. 

“Well, Mother Nature isn’t a mythical creature, she’s the personification of nature itself. And nature? Nature is as old as _time_ itself.” Seungmin could tell on their faces they weren’t getting what he was insinuating. “What I mean is, Mother Nature is as old as the earth. So, how old does that make Hyunjin?”

“No way...” Felix drawled, finally catching on. “But he’s a teenager, like us. He doesn’t look a billion years old.”

“Five billion, give or take a few million.” Seungmin corrected. “These are just my own theories based on what I read. Maybe whatever caused Hyunjin to turn into a tree, caused him to stop growing old. Or, at least, slow down his growing.”

“And lose his memory.” Jeongin included. “We need to figure out how he got turned into a tree, and why I managed to turn him back.”

Seungmin let out a soft scoff. “That seems virtually impossible, seeing as there’s literally nothing about him anywhere.”

“Have you checked the library?”

Jeongin and Seungmin stared at Felix. 

“What?” He asked defensively. “You know what a library is, right? The room with all the books in it?” They stayed, unmoving. “I’m just saying, maybe there’s nothing about him online, but you never know what you might find in the mythology section.” Felix muttered, self consciously. 

Seungmin snapped his head to Jeongin. “So, library at lunch time?” 

Jeongin nodded, before remembering. “Oh, bring your camera and your memory card. We can look at the pictures you took yesterday and analyse them.” That’s when Seungmin realised...

“My camera! After everything that happened yesterday, I forgot to get it from the shop! And I left my SD card inside.” 

“What?! Why would you do that?!” Felix exclaimed, causing a few people around them to startle. He lowered his voice. “What if they accidentally see the pictures and see Hyunjin transform? You have to get it back.”

Seungmin groaned frustratedly. “Okay, change of plan. I’ll go and get my camera back at lunch time. Then _after school_ we’ll hit the library.” The door of their head of year’s office swung open, Jisung sauntering out with Hyunjin following close behind. “How did it go?”

The first thing Hyunjin noticed when he entered the office was how dark it was. The blinds were open, and the sun was out, yet the room still bore a shadowed atmosphere. And then he saw it. A potted sunflower sitting on her messy desk which was piled up with stacks upon stacks of papers and books. Hyunjin frowned at the closed up petals of the flower. He could feel it’s yearning for the sunshine, and depriving a sunflower of the sun was just plain cruel. The sound of the door shutting caused him to start and spin around, standing beside Jisung who was wearing the same expression as him. 

“Now, Jisung, would you like to explain to me what’s really going on here? Or will I have to call your father and ask him?” 

Come on Han, Jisung thought to himself, now is the time to put your own powers to use. 

“Miss.” He began, plastering on a charming grin. “You see, the thing is, my cousin, Hyunjin,” He gestured to the blonde boy who was looking longingly at the aching flower diagonal to them, “turned up at my doorstep yesterday, completely out of the blue, and I was shocked of course, considering he lived somewhere north of here, which is funny considering how posh and old-fashioned he speaks, you know? Anyway, he’s staying with me indefinitely and, you know, my dad is working so often that I just thought it would be the most genius idea to bring him with me to school so he could get familiar with everyone and everything, until his paperwork is ready, which could take ages, who knows when they’ll get to you? So... yeah... that’s- that’s my explanation.”

She paused for an extended beat, her mouth forming a thin line. “I’ll still have to ring your father to confirm this.”

“You can’t!” Jisung pleaded, wracking his brain for an answer to her shocked face at his outburst. “He’s sleeping right now, he works night shifts so he won’t appreciate a call right now.” He cleared his throat lightly, voice trailing off. 

She let out an understated humph. “Jisung, you cannot just bring a non-student on to school property, this will not stand- excuse me, young man, what on Earth are you doing?”

Jisung jumped up from leaning against the desk, before he realised she was talking to Hyunjin. He was cradling the sunflower pot in his hands, standing by the window where translucent sunlight was travelling through. “Deepest apologies, but the pain is too agonising for me to bear any longer. This beautiful blossom is bereft of what is its most natural nutrients.”

Her eyes moved between Hyunjin and the plant, catching on to what he was talking about. “Ah, yes, I’d been meaning to... move that... thank you.”

Hyunjin smiled apologetically. “Pardon me if I begin to overstep, but plants are just like humans. They need to be cared for, fed and watered, they need to be loved.” Placing the pot under the light, he gently stroked the stem of the sunflower. Jisung held his breath, scared of what was going to happen next and wondered how much waffling he would have to do to make up for it. Hyunjin’s mouth spread into a grin, when the petals slowly opened up, displaying the lovely, bright yellow that a sunflower often shone. Jisung was at least relieved that the contacts did their job, Hyunjin’s eyes had stayed a dark brown colour but he knew the madness going on underneath them.

“How... how did you do that?” Their head of year stuttered, eyes blinking at the sight in front of her. 

“Just a little bit of love can go a long way.” Hyunjin nodded, patting the curved stem like he was patting a child’s head, before moving back to join the two in the middle of the room. Jisung gulped, getting ready to talk his way out of this one, but he didn’t need to. 

All of a sudden, it was like their teacher was a different person. “That is remarkable! You know, I’ve always considered myself a horticulturist.”

“Really?” Jisung blurted out, before looking down due to her death stare. 

“Yes, I haven’t quite found the time to focus on it as much, but I’ve wanted to start a gardening club at this school. If only there were more kids interested.” She brightened up, getting an idea. “You could help me! The way you talk about plants and nature, so eloquently, I’m sure you could get some students involved!” Hyunjin grinned, but only because she was grinning wildly at him and he was mirroring her actions, in actuality he had no idea what was going on. 

“Does that mean he can stay?” Jisung interjected, hopefully. 

His teacher regained her composure. “I’ll still have to follow up on that paperwork, but I don’t see a harm in letting him join us for the day. Now, get out.”

Jisung held back a smirk, guiding Hyunjin back into the corridor to see Felix, Seungmin and Jeongin were whispering to each other in a corner. Seungmin noticed them first. “How did it go?”

“Let’s just say, when Han Jisung says he’s gonna save the day, he does it.” 

“Don’t talk about yourself in third person, that’s weird.” Jeongin muttered, as they made their way up the stairs to registration, just in time for the second bell to ring.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: hi just a warning this is a sad one :( and has mentions of death so read with caution if that’s something that will affect you, but I promise the next chapter will be much more wholesome :) okay ty enjoy <3

Entering their form classroom, it surprised, honestly, no one - not even Jisung, who at this point could even admit to himself that he underestimated the people at their school - that they immediately got looks and stares from their fellow classmates. Jisung quickly steered Hyunjin to the front of the room, to introduce him to their form tutor, who frankly looked like they couldn’t care less, while the other three boys went over to their usual corner. 

Felix grabbed an empty chair from a neighbouring table, for Hyunjin. Jisung and Hyunjin joined them, Jisung looking to the side at the people who had their eyes glued to them, whispering among themselves. “Okay, so I may have underestimated the people at our school.” 

“You think?” Seungmin responded, sarcastically. 

Jisung kissed his teeth, dismissively. “It’s fine, if they ask questions we have a backstory.”

“Which you came up with on the spot when you had an entire night to think of something.” Jeongin rolled his eyes. “What did you two even do yesterday?”

Jisung brightened up. “Well, I got home and, of course, dad wasn’t there. So, I showed him around and he got freaked out by every single thing. Like the TV, the microwave, my phone. Then we just played video games all night.”

“Did you do the geography homework?” Seungmin asked, and Jisung gave him a look. 

“I think we both know, even if this didn’t happen, I still wouldn’t have done the geography homework.” Seungmin stared at him, before slowly passing over his own geography exercise book. Jisung winked at him in thanks, opening up to the most recent page. 

Felix did a double take. “Hang on, you played video games? And you didn’t invite me?”

Jisung nodded, hurriedly copying down the short answers to the questions in his usual messy scrawl. “Yeah, he picked it up surprisingly fast. Almost beat me. _Almost_. But of course, I am the reigning champion.”

Felix scoffed in amusement. “Keep telling yourself that, Han, and I’ll keep beating you.”

“Hah, big talk for such a little man. One-v-one me, after school-“ 

“Geography homework.” Seungmin sighed, reading a page out of his journal, causing Jisung to stop talking and finish writing. Jeongin peered over at Seungmin, trying to get a glimpse of what he was looking at, until he could read the words inked to the paper. 

“You wrote everything down, about Mother Nature, in your journal and brought it to school?” He hissed, gaining Seungmin’s attention. “Did you not learn anything from this morning? How you forgot your camera at the tech shop? What if you lose this too and someone finds it?”

“Okay, firstly, I clearly brought this with me before we realised all of that. Secondly, I’m not going to lose it.” He shut the book, stuffing it back into his backpack annoyedly. Jeongin looked to Hyunjin, who was watching all of them with a soft smile on his face. He hadn’t spoken since they sat down, simply following along the conversations, in fascination, repeating their foreign words to himself in confusion, trying to decipher the meanings. Jeongin couldn’t figure him out, how could someone who carried so much pain be so sweet all the time? 

A sheet of paper travelled around the room, eventually stopping at their table. The four boys glanced at it briefly, before passing it to Hyunjin. He stared at it. “What is this?”

“Uh, Christmas disco.” Jisung replied, finishing off the last question. “Oh right, you won’t know what a disco is. It’s like a party.” Hyunjin looked at him blankly. “A ball?” Hyunjin shrugged. “It’s like, a room with snacks, drinks and music and everyone dances and vibes with each other. It’s Friday, after school.”

“It sounds very merry.” He muttered, eyes washing over the colourful poster again. 

“You’ve never been to a party?” Jeongin asked, Hyunjin’s eyes shooting up at him. Hyunjin shook his head, the smile still on his face but it lost its joyfulness. 

“I would often hear the townspeople playing the most lively music from the town square, and smell utterly delicious fresh bread which was served. I always thought it would have been wonderful to attend.”

“You never went?” Felix asked, a hint of pity in his tone. 

“Mother and Father would never have allowed as such. I was to remain in the woods, where I was safe and could not be found.”

“Found by who?” Seungmin interjected, the entire table clinging on to every word he was saying. 

Hyunjin paused, his eyebrows coming together in thought. “I am not entirely sure, I... I cannot remember.”

That’s when it dawned on Jeongin. “Haven’t you thought about where your parents are now? I mean, what if they were looking for you this whole time? Do you have any idea where they could be?”

Suddenly, Hyunjin’s smile dropped and his eyes glistened over. “It had not occurred to me, to discover the whereabouts of Mother and Father.” He shut his eyes tightly, feeling an abrupt pang of pain stretch out through his chest. He brought his hand up to clutch his heart, fighting back the overwhelming feeling. The other four were alarmed, asking him if he was okay while trying to not make it obvious to the rest of the classroom. Hyunjin let out a heavy breath, eyes zipping open widely. “Oh dear.”

“What, what is it?” Jeongin demanded, concernedly. 

“I-I do not know, I... I felt something. Something evil, I... poison? No... it could not be.” Hyunjin stuttered to himself, only increasing Jeongin’s worry. Whenever they brought up Hyunjin’s past or connection to the forest, it provoked reactions out of him, that caused him emotional and, now, physical pain. It was like something was forcibly blocking him from remembering his past. Jeongin knew what they had to do. 

As soon as the bell rang for lunch, Seungmin fled through the gates of their mediocre school, rushing along to the technology shop as quickly as he could, which wasn’t too long considering it wasn’t that far away. Felix decided to accompany him, seeing as he hadn’t anything better to do and he wanted to see the pictures for himself. They entered the empty shop, the usual clerk at the till. 

“Hey.” Seungmin greeted, Felix stepping up beside him. “I left a camera here to be cleaned yesterday, I was meant to collect it a few hours after dropping it off but something came up.” The clerk asked for his name, before heading in to the back, to look for the camera that he adored so much. 

“Don’t touch that.” He berated Felix, who was eyeing up a mess of red and blue wires left haphazardly on the desk, copper spikes coming out the ends. 

“Pfft, I wasn’t going to...” Felix trailed off, diverting his attention to around the small interior, taking in the various camera equipment mounted to the walls: from the different sized lenses to the Polaroid cameras. “Hey, this stuff is pretty cool.” 

“Yeah, I keep telling you guys.” Seungmin tapped the glass counter with his fingers impatiently, before adding as an afterthought while looking at Felix hopefully. “You should come to photography club.”

Felix scrunched up his nose, cutely. “I don’t know, I feel like you have to be really into photography to enjoy that.”

“Right, it was just a suggestion.” Seungmin brushed it off, tapping his foot rapidly. The clerk finally returned, after what felt like a millennium to Seungmin, with his camera and it was spotless. He smiled gratefully, paying them for their services. Until he checked the SD card slot. “Where’s the memory card?”

“There wasn’t a memory card when we got it.”

Seungmin stared at him in disbelief. “What do you mean? I definitely left it in there. Didn’t I?” He whispered the last part under his breath, before excusing himself as the clerk looked tired of the exchange already. Felix ran out after him, Seungmin walking aimlessly as he questioned everything about his life. “I swear I left the SD card in there...”

Felix touched his shoulder, bringing him out of his daze. “Maybe it fell out in the woods? Come, let’s go look for it before lunch ends.” Seungmin nodded slowly, Felix steering him in the direction of the woods, still expressing the look of discombobulation the entire way. 

Jeongin stepped through the trees of the woods, Hyunjin a step behind him. Jeongin looked back to make sure Hyunjin was there, and just smiled, before turning back and carrying on the path. They emerged into the campfire site and Hyunjin hesitated, as he had done the day before. Jeongin gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, you’re safe. I promise.” Hyunjin looked at Jeongin’s face for a second before relaxing, moving into the space with him. 

“Pray tell, why have you brought me back to this place?” He asked, quietly. It was almost like the more times he appeared there, the stronger his aversion grew. 

Jeongin turned so they were face to face. “I think something happened, the day you turned into a tree.”

“Yes, I had turned into a tree.” 

Jeongin blinked. “No, I mean... there has to be a reason you turned into a tree, right? Something must have happened, something really bad, and, for some reason, something is stopping you from remembering. I brought you back here... so we can find out what.”

Hyunjin tensed up again. “I am scared. The pain I feel is unimaginable. Not understandable. I am not confident I have the power to endure it.”

“Hey, we’re only as powerful as we believe we are, yeah? If you believe you can do this, then you can. And, I believe that you can, if that helps.” Hyunjin’s lips slowly curved in to a determined smile, before he nodded. Jeongin grinned at him, moving back to give Hyunjin some space. 

Closing his eyes, Hyunjin focused on remembering the past. Trying to think about what happened to him before he was rooted dormant to the earth as an oak tree. His parents. Why couldn’t he remember his parents? And what happened to them? Focusing strongly, he was unbeknownst of the storm he was creating around him. 

Wind whipped through the leaves, Jeongin barely managing to stay standing up. Hyunjin could feel the pain rippling through his body, but he persevered. He had to do this. For his parents, for his new friends, and for himself. He felt like his veins were burning through his skin, like everything was on fire.

Jeongin wanted to reach out and stop Hyunjin, the sight of Hyunjin in so much agonising pain too much for him to tolerate but he knew that Hyunjin would pull through. He hoped he would. 

Hyunjin was almost at his limit, when everything hit him like a tonne of bricks. All at once. He choked out a breath, eyes bulging out of its sockets as he fell to the ground. Jeongin ran to him, tapping his back as he continued to cough out, until they died off into heavy breaths. Hyunjin sat back on the twigs and leaves under him, burying his head between his knees. Jeongin asked him if he was okay, and Hyunjin managed to nod, letting his legs drop. “I remember. I remember everything.” 

Jeongin’s eyes widened, continuing to pat his back. “Just take it easy for now, yeah?” 

Weakly, Hyunjin pushed himself up, despite Jeongin’s protests, staggering around the campfire site, each step angrier than the next. “They killed them. They... it was here. Mother and Father... they were murdered in this very spot.” Jeongin’s eyes fell on the same spot Hyunjin’s did, the campfire pit. 

“What do you mean? Who killed them?” Jeongin asked, cautiously. It was a shock to him, to see the cheerful and bright-eyed Hyunjin he’d cared to know so full of anger and resentment. 

“I watched them burn... they...” Tears rolled down his cheeks, as he visibly got more heated. “I saw them burn my parents to ashes. And then...” Hyunjin’s head snapped to the other side of the woods, before he took off running. Jeongin went after him, knowing exactly where he was heading. 

Jeongin got there just in time to see Hyunjin step up to the well and look over the hole, a shaky hand holding on to either side of it. Slowly, Jeongin walked up to him, feeling sympathy for everything Hyunjin was feeling, all at once. Hyunjin bit his trembling lip. “They poured their charred remains into here. And they made me watch.” Hyunjin fell down to his knees, breaking entirely. Jeongin fell beside him, without thinking, and pulled Hyunjin into a comforting embrace. Hyunjin let out agonising sobs, each one louder than the last as they echoed through the trees. Jeongin pulled him into his chest, stroking his hair consolingly as Hyunjin continued to bawl until he cried all the pain out of his body.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: did I say this one was gonna be wholesome..? There is still some wholesomeness, it was meant to be all wholesome, but I couldn’t help myself- anyway enjoy :3

“I still can’t believe you’ve never had chocolate brownies.”

Hyunjin shrugged sheepishly. “I am sure they are heavenly, but we had not heard of such a thing in my time.”

Jeongin shook his head disappointedly. “I’ll get Felix to make you some, he’s got food tech tomorrow and his brownies are amazing.”

“I look forward to them.” Hyunjin grinned, glancing at the melting ice cream cone in his hand. “The future is not at all like I had fantasised it would be.”

Jeongin took a lick of his own cone. “What do you mean?”

“To be truthful, I am not entirely sure what I had anticipated, alas it has surprised me plentiful.” He looked back at Jeongin, who was watching him analytically. “Mostly good.” 

“I mean, the world still isn’t perfect. Some would say it’s gotten worse. But at least we have ice cream now.” He bit into the wafer with a crunch. 

About ten minutes ago, Jeongin had taken a sedated-by-his-own-tears Hyunjin to the corner shop and bought each of them a Cornetto ice cream. Although it was winter, and Jeongin was vehement that he hated nothing more than the cold, he was also vehement that ice cream helped everything. 

Hyunjin licked the side of his hand where some ice cream had dripped down, enjoying the sweet flavour. “It is quite lovely.” Jeongin frowned sympathetically at the dejected expression on Hyunjin’s face that he kept falling in and out of. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how he was feeling. Jeongin had refrained from asking him any more questions about what he could remember, not wanting to stress the boy out any more than he already was. 

“Come on, we have to head back to school.” Jeongin got up from the park swing he was lazily swaying on, finishing off the end of his ice cream. Hyunjin stood up after him, hastily shoving the rest of his cone into his mouth as he saw Jeongin had finished his. Big mistake. 

“Ah, good heavens!” Hyunjin grabbed his head as a dull pain spread through his temples. Jeongin swung back to see what the commotion was about, and burst into laughter upon realisation. 

He pat Hyunjin on the back, coughing out the rest of his sentence through chuckles. “Yeah, I probably should have warned you about that.”

They proceeded through the park, which was across from their school, taking the long route out to prolong their inevitable return back for afternoon lessons. Walking side by side, Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile contently to himself, glancing around at the trees that lined their path. As devastating as the day had been for him, he noticed how his mind had felt clearer. Before, it was like something was physically messing with his thoughts and memories, like a tiny gremlin stamping through his brain. Now, he could think freely, as heavy as the burden of knowing what had happened to him was. Jeongin looked at him from the side of his eye, unable to keep himself from asking questions any longer. “How do you feel now?”

Hyunjin took in a deep breath. “I feel better now than I had before. Albeit, I still carry the pain of remembering.” He let out a mirthless scoff. “I am seething with rage, on the inside. But how can I express such emotions when I’m surrounded by such beauty? The- nature, I mean.” He added the last bit quietly, facing away. 

Jeongin hummed. “Hmm yeah, it’s alright I guess. But I can’t, I’m sorry if I’m overstepping but, I don’t know how nature can make you feel any good right now.”

Hyunjin smiled, knowingly. “The Earth is happy here. I feel its happiness, and it makes me happy.” 

Jeongin breathed a laugh. “I can’t believe you can _feel_ the Earth. That’s so _cool_.”

“Really?” Hyunjin’s eyes lit up, feeling giddy at his compliment. All the boys’ reactions to his abilities made him feel something he never thought he would feel: accepted and appreciated. “I have no idea what that word means, but by your tone I infer it must be something pleasant.”

Jeongin giggled. “Very pleasant.”

Hyunjin stopped sharply, turning to Jeongin. “You can feel it too, if you wish.”

After a silent beat of Jeongin processing Hyunjin’s words, his eyes widened. “What?”

Hyunjin grinned, nodding exuberantly. “Come with me.” He moved himself and Jeongin onto the grass, away from the path. Jeongin watched him cautiously, apprehensive about what was going to happen. Hyunjin looked him in the eye, excitedly, extending his palm. “Give me your hand.” Jeongin hesitated, Hyunjin shaking his wrist encouragingly. Breathing out a sigh, Jeongin decided to trust him and clasped his left hand in Hyunjin’s right. “Now, close your eyes and focus on what you can hear, what you can smell, taste, feel.”

Jeongin’s eyes fell shut, and he did as Hyunjin instructed. At first, he couldn’t sense anything except Hyunjin’s warm hand against his, which he had to admit to himself he was starting to like, when it began tingling. Hyunjin’s grip tightened, his own eyes squeezed shut, as the tingling feeling spread up Jeongin’s arm, sparking every single one of his nerves. A rush of serotonin travelled through him, and Jeongin felt like his entire body was floating. He didn’t know what he was expecting _the Earth to feel like_ , but he definitely didn’t think it was going to make him feel as alive as it did. 

“Is this real?” Jeongin blurted out, still thriving off the high he was experiencing. “And you feel this all the time?”

“Most of the time.” Hyunjin laughed, bouncing off of Jeongin’s boost in mood. “If the Earth is happy.”

“Is it not happy all the time?” He asked, genuinely. 

“Not always. The Earth is happy here, because nature has been allowed to grow and be nurtured. But not everywhere is as friendly to the Earth as this town.”

Jeongin pondered it for a second, opening his eyes to look at Hyunjin. “Do you mean, like, deforestation and stuff like that?”

“That term is not known to me, yet it does not sound very nice. Humans have taken liberty of the Earth, abusing and using it to their hearts desires without thinking of how it is hurting it. I cannot imagine things have gotten any better in the future, considering you have all these new contraptions that are making the Earth sick.”

“Like... buses, and cars?” Jeongin asked, his voice smaller and smaller with guilt. This seemed so trivial, this was all stuff Jeongin had learnt about in primary school, but none of it had resonated within him until now, when he could actually feel the Earth’s emotions... he could feel it was living too. 

Hyunjin nodded, sadly, mumbling to himself in a tangent. “If the Earth feels sad, I feel it. If the Earth feels pain, I feel it. I am a part of the Earth, I will forever be bound to it, it is my life source. If the Earth dies...”

Then _you_ die, Jeongin thought to himself.

He shook it off, trying to take Hyunjin’s mind off it. “Still, this feels amazing. I’m jealous you get to feel this whenever you want.” Their hands were still grasping each other’s. Maybe if Hyunjin had let go a second before his thoughts spiralled to the memories of the night his parents were murdered, the night he turned into a tree then, maybe, Jeongin wouldn’t have had flashes of the campfire site fill his vision. But it wasn’t a campfire site. 

One was filled with cloaked figures, huddling around a fiery blaze. The next was Hyunjin being held back by one of the figures, a hand clasped over his mouth as he kicked against the ground, visibly letting out mute screams at the fire. The final one was Hyunjin crawling backwards, scrambling away from the group who had cornered him. Right on to the spot Jeongin and Seungmin had found him not even twenty-four hours prior. 

Jeongin yanked his hand out of Hyunjin’s, tripping backwards slightly but he caught himself. Hyunjin looked at him with concern, but he knew by the fear in Jeongin’s eyes that he saw. “Who... who are they, the people who did this to you?” Jeongin forced out, and Hyunjin bit his lip like he was trying to prevent himself from crying again. 

“You would not believe me if I told you.”

“You’re a tree who turned in to a boy, who can make apples grow on command and have flaming green eyes. Try me.” 

“Don’t beat yourself up over it.” Felix tried to make Seungmin feel better about the fact they couldn’t find the SD card in the woods, as they made their way into the changing room. Seungmin threw his bag down on the bench, moodily. 

“Maybe I did take it home? I feel like I’m losing my mind.” 

“Hey, come on. You don’t need lousy pictures to prove what you saw. I believe you, Jisung believes you, Jeongin was there with you and Hyunjin is living proof.”

Seungmin exhaled loudly out his nose. “I guess so.” He shrugged animatedly, opening his bag to retrieve his PE uniform, before noticing his journal wasn’t there. Frantically, he dumped the contents of his bag on to the bench, rifling through everything to no avail. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Felix asked him what was wrong, before telling Seungmin to check lost property after class. “No, but this is too much. First, I lose my SD card with the _pictures_ , and now my journal where I have my Mother Nature research.”

“Maybe you’re just very forgetful?” Seungmin gave him a look. “Okay, I think you’re reading into it too much.”

Seungmin grit his teeth. “Or, someone is messing with me.”

“Who would do that?” Felix asked, sincerely. 

They entered the school gymnasium, to see Jeongin and Jisung, who usually changed in the other changing room, accompanied by Hyunjin. He was wearing their school PE uniform, however the shorts and shirt he was dressed in looked like they were three sizes too big. Jisung explained, laughingly, as the two approached them. “Yo, look, we raided lost and found for something for Hyunjin but it was between this or this red lace bra and a pair of trousers that had a massive rip down the middle.”

“Yeah? Did you find anything else in there? Like my journal?” Seungmin asked, his tone coming out more hostile than he expected. 

“No? Why would your journal- did you lose your journal?!”

Jeongin sighed, annoyedly. “I told you to be careful with that, it’s got information-“

“Yeah, I know, it’s _my_ journal. And, I don’t think I lost it. Same as I don’t think I lost my SD card.”

“You lost your SD card?!” Jeongin and Jisung yelled out at the same time. Seungmin shushed them. 

“Technically, yes. But I don’t think I did. I think it was stolen.”

“Who would steal your memory card and journal?” Jisung asked, in confusion. Seungmin stared at him. “You think I did?”

“Nope, I think he did.” He pointed straight at Hyunjin who looked back innocently. “He’s the only one who makes sense. Look, if you give them back I promise I won’t show anyone or anything. Your secret is safe with me, I promise. Just give me back what’s mine.”

“I am greatly sorry, Seungmin, but I do not know what you are referring to.” Hyunjin answered, timidly. 

Seungmin scoffed, taking a step forward. “I’m not kidding, give me my stuff back, that memory card was expensive.”

“Hey, come on, man. Be gentle, he’s had a rough day.” Jeongin stepped in between them. “If he said he doesn’t have them, then he doesn’t.”

“Well, then _you_ do.” Jeongin looked at him in disbelief. “All I know is that my SD card _and_ my journal are missing. The only person who would take them is standing there,” He gestured at Hyunjin, “and you’re protecting him. So one of you has them, because clearly you don’t trust me with this secret.”

“Seungmin...” Felix muttered, pulling on his arm gently as if telling him to stop. 

Seungmin glanced at Felix quickly, before visibly relaxing. “I just want my stuff back.” 

“We didn’t take them. And, for the record, accusing your friends of stealing your things isn’t cool.” Jeongin stated, disappointedly. 

“I’m sorry, I just feel like I’m losing my mind. It’s like something is messing with my thoughts.” 

Jeongin and Hyunjin exchanged a look. 

“What?” Seungmin asked, in panic. “What’s that look, what do you know?”

“We went to the woods today, and Hyunjin managed to remember everything. What happened to him, and his parents.”

“And?” Jisung, Felix and Seungmin asked simultaneously. 

“And, it’s so much wilder than we thought it would be.”


	7. Chapter 7

The door to Joe’s Java chimed, another customer bringing a cold rush of wind in with them. Hyunjin cradled his mug of hot chocolate between his palms, a drink he’s become quite fond of, while letting Jeongin explain the story to Jisung, Felix and Seungmin, for he wasn’t sure if he would be able to tell it again without bursting into tears for the third time that day. 

“Okay, now, I’m not saying I don’t believe it because... well, I said that last time and I made a fool of myself.” Jisung muttered the last part, before raising his voice once again. “But this is insane!”

“And you think _they’re_ the ones messing with _me_ now?” Seungmin asked for clarification. “It’s been so long, are they even still alive?”

Jeongin looked at Hyunjin quickly before turning back to the table, quietly replying. “I mean, why wouldn’t they be? Magic lives forever, right? It makes sense.”

Felix leaned back in his seat, folding his arms in thought. “Dark witches, though. I thought it would be something more original than that.”

Jeongin glared at him. “Sorry this real-life issue isn’t creative enough for you, maybe a fire breathing troll will come along and lay some dragon eggs, while doing the cha-cha slide?”

Felix pouted slightly, stirring his drink slowly. “I was just saying...”

The tale of Mother Nature is as old as time, though no one really knows the full story. They don’t know how when the Earth was created, she was created as well, to nurture and make it flourish. They don’t know that, when _she_ was created, so was Father Nature, to help protect and preserve it. They don’t know that, around eight-hundred years ago, give or take a few years, they had a child which they named Hyunjin, also known as Boy Nature, who possessed unbelievable abilities. 

Of course, back in those days, all sorts of magical woodland creatures had existed. Pixies, gnomes, even grumpy gremlins who wouldn’t harm a fly (though they would curse at you if you disturbed them during one of their many scheduled naps) and every single talking animal you could think of. The animal kingdom was a joyful one, each and every species living in a peaceful harmony. That was until the fateful day the dark witches had invaded and spun their idyllic world on its head. The dark witches were a coven of magical beings who lived among the regular people of their town, who were unbeknownst of the creatures who inhabited the forest surrounding them. The creatures were forbidden to interact with the townspeople, by Mother and Father, for there was no telling how they would treat them for being so different. Hyunjin had spent his entire life hiding away from them, as much as he wanted to play with the local children. There were often times when they would wander into the woods to play tag or hide and seek, Hyunjin yearning to join in with them just once. Alas, he refused to disobey the rulers of the animal kingdom, and not just because they were his parents. He agreed the rules were in place for a reason, and as much as he imagined it would be fun to play with the other children, he knew that their safety was more important. 

Unfortunately, it seemed that the townspeople were not the ones that they should have been so afraid of. Dark witches were different from ordinary witches, they harnessed their power from dark magic. Dark magic had an incredible ability to turn even the purest of hearts black, this plaguing the entire coven with hatred and resentment. They despised the animal kingdom for merely existing, the lack of chaos and anarchy fuelling their inky rage until one day, they snapped. That day, the animal kingdom had fallen, the forest floors were painted red and, one by one, the magical light that shone through the trees had dimmed with each extinction. Leaving only Mother, Father, and Boy Nature. 

All three of their lives were bound to the Earth, so as soon as the dark witches had even tried to attack them, they could feel the Earth begin to shake and crumble. If _they_ died, the Earth would die too. This small victory didn’t last long, as the dark witches soon realised what they needed to do. Conjuring up as much power as they could muster, the dark witches performed an unlinking spell, severing the tie between Mother and Father and the Earth, before ultimately forcing them to meet their demise as they made their son watch. Hyunjin was the final living being of the animal kingdom left, before the dark witches would have successfully ridded the forest of all that was good and pure in the town. 

However. There was a sight problem. 

Unaware if it was because they had already performed the spell, that had taken up an immense amount of dark magic, so they had run out of power and become weak, or if it was due to some other reason, but they were unable to unlink Hyunjin from the Earth. After a couple of tries, they decided, in a frustrated haste, that if Hyunjin couldn’t be unlinked from the Earth, then he was to be chained to it forever. And that was all Hyunjin could remember. 

He started coughing suddenly, bringing a hand to his chest. The other four acknowledged him in alarm, asking if he was alright. “Yes, I am fine. I think I must just be tired from everything today. I feel slightly feeble, but I am sure I will feel better later on.”

“Are you sure?” Jeongin spoke softly. “Do you want to go? Jisung can take you back to his and you can rest, or we can get you something to eat or we could go back to the park and you can re-energise with the Earth, or something. Or-“

Hyunjin smiled gratefully. “It is okay Jeongin, I will be fine, thank you for your concern but you need not worry about me.” Jeongin watched him for an extra moment before turning back to the group to see Jisung, Felix and Seungmin staring at him weirdly. Awkwardly, Jeongin picked up his mug of drink and took a sip, looking away into the other direction.

“You know, you’re sort of like Harry Potter.” Jisung commented, and Hyunjin looked at him blankly. “Right, you don’t know Harry Potter. Because they couldn’t kill you, probably due to _the power of love_ or something like that. From your parents, or the Earth.” The table was quiet. “Or maybe not.” 

Jeongin dismissed him. “Whatever it was, those dark witches were still messing with Hyunjin after he turned back. They wouldn’t let him remember what happened, he had to fight through an intense pain to even do that. I think they’re doing the same to Seungmin.”

“So, they stole Seungmin’s stuff?” Felix asked, and Jeongin shrugged. 

“Or they’re messing with his brain and making him think that someone stole his stuff. Hyunjin said he could feel something evil inside him every time they blocked his mind, like poison. Maybe, they tried to make you think you’re going crazy and it was making you angry so you lashed out at us.” 

“I didn’t really lash out-“

Jisung nodded, a dazed look in his eyes as he concentrated on the conversation. “That would make sense why cool-as-a-cucumber Kim Seungmin accused you of stealing his diary in the middle of the school gym, in front of everyone, something he would never do.” 

“It’s a journal.” Seungmin corrected, his tone remaining calm. “And don’t call me that.” 

“See, cool as a cucumber.” Jisung reiterated, before accidentally blowing bubbles into his coke drink, through his straw. “Hey, weren’t you supposed to go to the library after school?”

Seungmin sighed, tilting his head tiredly. “Yeah, but, we have all our answers now. Besides, there probably wouldn’t have been anything useful there. It’s a shame, I was looking forward to it.”

“Hang on, we still don’t know how Hyunjin managed to turn back into Hyunjin.” Felix pointed out, and Seungmin sat up abruptly. 

“This is why you’re my favourite, come on!” Seungmin shot out of his seat, Felix frantically following after him, and Jisung yelling as they ran out of the coffee shop. 

“Wait, where are you going? And, is Felix really your favourite, because I thought I was- ah, they’re gone now.” Jisung pouted, swinging his head back at Jeongin and Hyunjin. “And then there were three.“

The bell of the front door chimed, indicating that a new customer had entered the shop. Most students hated the phenomenon of bumping into your teachers outside of school hours, Jisung and Jeongin were not exempt from this. 

“Oh god, should we make a run for it?” Jisung stage-whispered, looking like he was ready to duck under the table the second Jeongin gave him a signal.

Jeongin hunched down, bringing his ears to his shoulders, as he peeked at her ordering from the counter. “Nah, she’ll see us. Let’s just pretend she’s not there and maybe she won’t-“

“Oh, hello boys, lovely to see you here.” 

Holding back groans of irritation, Jeongin and Jisung greeted their head of year politely. “Hello miss, how are you?”

“I’m well, thank you. Nice to see you’re taking a break from revising for the exams coming up, because they are coming up quite soon.” She smiled tightly, Jisung and Jeongin gritting their teeth to hold back any remarks, before she noticed Hyunjin in the corner of the booth. “Ah, Hyunjin. I’m glad I ran into you. So, I’ve decided to hold a gardening club tomorrow after school and I was wondering if you could possibly speak to some of the students about plants and the Earth the way you do, with such passion, to see if anyone could be persuaded to attend.” 

“So, he can come to school tomorrow?” Jisung interjected. 

Their teacher faltered. “Well, I still haven’t received the paperwork of his transfer, but I heard good feedback from today. It seems Hyunjin is quite the gentleman, very polite and well behaved. However, if I don’t get anything by the end of the week, I will need to follow up on that, just to make sure you’re not pulling my leg here, Jisung.”

“No leg pulling here, miss.” Jisung lied. 

She looked at him for a second before the barista called her name. “Right, well, you boys should get back to that revising you were doing so diligently. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

As she walked away, Jisung mimicked taking his shoe off and throwing it at her, making Hyunjin giggle. The sound caused Jeongin to smile instantly, before he caught himself and pulled it back down into a neutral expression. 

Seungmin let out a heavy breath, shutting the book he was reading with a slam. “This is hopeless. Why did we think there would be anything in our stupid school library, when there’s nothing on the internet? The internet has everything!”

Felix frowned apologetically. “Sorry, I thought there might be something here.”

“No, don’t apologise, it’s okay. Thank you for your help, it means a lot.” Seungmin smiled at Felix, before throwing the book on his lap onto the floor, next to the stacks and stacks of mythology books they had already flipped through to no avail. “We should just give up. So, what if we never find out how Hyunjin turned back into a boy? So, what if that part of my curiosity never gets soothed and I spend the rest of my life wondering? He’s here now, and whatever magical explanation there is doesn’t matter because it worked and Hyunjin is back. It’s okay... I’ll live...” 

Felix thought about it for a moment. “What if we’re looking in the wrong place?”

Seungmin jerked an eyebrow as Felix scrambled up and disappeared into a different aisle. Seungmin started clearing up the books that littered the floor when Felix returned, carrying a tall, heavy pile of books in his arms right as they toppled in front of Seungmin. Felix dropped to his knees also, as Seungmin looked at the titles of the books. 

“ _Dark Magic 101... Signs You’re Under The Influence of Dark Magic... Rules and Restrictions of Dark Magic_.” Seungmin’s head shot up at Felix, grinning wildly. “Felix, you genius!”

Felix’s cheeks were dusted with crimson as he scratched the back of his head. “Ah, well...”

The librarian informed them that it was time to lock up, and they hurriedly put everything back on the shelves, before checking out the various books on dark magic Felix managed to grab. Seungmin called Jeongin, asking where they were before they agreed to meet at Jisung’s place so they could look through the books together. 

“Why does our school library have books on dark magic?” Jisung questioned, lifting one of the books with his index finger before letting it fall back on to the table noisily. “That seems a bit irresponsible.”

“I doubt the school librarian knows magic exists, or they wouldn’t have.” Jeongin commented, picking up one that was titled _Spells and Incantations for the dark learners_. “I do question why there are so many of them, though...”

Hyunjin started coughing again, more hoarse than before. Jisung asked him if he was okay, to which Hyunjin nodded despite feeling anything but okay. He felt like his lungs were filled with chalk. Jisung rushed to the kitchen to get him a glass of water, and the other three crowded him as he bent over on the sofa, with his head between his knees. Thinking quickly, Felix grabbed a desk bin that was off to the side and handed it to Hyunjin as he heaved into the basket. Weakly, Hyunjin picked his head up and fell against the cushion, a tired yet pained expression on his face. The boys hesitated, wondering if they should look or not. Jisung returned and handed Hyunjin the glass of water, before peering into the bucket, almost retching at what he saw covering the waste paper. 

Moss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _“While green moss on trees isn't necessarily harmful, it can contribute to a myriad of potential problems. ... In addition, because moss grows more thickly on older trees, this can make it difficult to notice potential health problems like disease and tree death.“_


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: merry christmas ;)

“We are not feeding Hyunjin moss killer, Jisung!”

“I’m just telling you what Google said!” He yelled back at Jeongin, pacing the room while swiping frantically on his phone. “Let’s see... uh.... okay, so iron sulphate is the traditional way of killing moss, but- aha! Lime is good for making it less acidic.”

Jeongin stared at him. “Is that going to get rid of it though?”

“No idea, but the only other option is dish soap so...”

Jeongin sighed, jumping up from the carpet, as he was sitting beside Hyunjin who was laid out on the sofa, his face pale with his hair fluffed over his closed eyes. “The issue is that it’s not in his stomach, it’s in his lungs. How the hell are we supposed to fix that?!” 

“Why are you asking me, I’m not a doctor! Or, a botanist, whichever we need right now...” 

Moving back over to Hyunjin, Jeongin bit his lip guiltily as he watched his poorly face. He pushed the golden strands out of his eyes, tucking them behind his ear, hoping that something would pull through. Anything. Jeongin couldn’t help but blame himself. By now it was obvious that he must have done something to cause Hyunjin to revert back from a tree, and as much as he knew it was probably a good thing, he felt responsible for everything that had happened to Hyunjin since. _He_ made Hyunjin remember what happened with the dark witches, which must have angered them, and they somehow managed to do this to him. 

At that moment, Seungmin and Felix came rushing into the living room. Seungmin was carrying a massive metal pot with kitchen gloves on, and inside was a two-litre water bottle filled with a murky, bubbling liquid, which had part of a garden hose duct-taped to the top. The other end was shoved into the nozzle of a funnel. He ordered Jeongin and Jisung to help Hyunjin sit up, and set the pot down on the coffee table in front of the sickly boy. 

“Here, hold this to your mouth and breathe in as much as you can.” Seungmin passed the funnel to Hyunjin and he did as told, before falling into another coughing fit, but this time it wasn’t due to the moss. 

“What the hell is in that?” Jisung scrunched his nose up, the sour stench wafting over to him. 

“Two parts vinegar, three parts boiling water.” Seungmin revealed, helping Hyunjin hold the yellow kitchen equipment to his face. “Vinegar is good for killing basically any plant, including moss. I added it to some boiling water so Hyunjin can inhale it. Hopefully, it should do _something_.” 

“It’s like a homemade bong.” Jisung stated, in awe, and the others stared at him. “Not that I would use one... it was just an observation... I don’t do drugs- Anyway, let’s talk about how Seungmin is the smartest person in the world. How did you come up with that?”

“Common sense.” Seungmin shrugged, allowing Hyunjin to lie down again with the funnel still held against his mouth. “Does that feel better?” To everyone’s relief, Hyunjin managed a nod. “I have no idea if it’s gonna kill it completely, but at least it’s soothing him.” Seungmin told the others as they left to the kitchen, so Hyunjin could rest. 

“What do we do?” Felix asked, worriedly. “What if Hyunjin is really sick? We can’t take him to the doctor.”

“We need to read those dark magic books, and fast. The quicker we figure out how all of this works, the more answers we’ll find.” Jeongin instructed, causing Jisung and Seungmin to run back into the living room to retrieve them. 

At some point it had reached dinner time, meaning Jeongin, Felix and Seungmin had to go home. They had barely managed to look through half the books, so they divided up the rest and agreed to cram through them before the next morning. On his way out, Jeongin couldn’t help but peer back into the living room to see Hyunjin sleeping soundly on the couch, the funnel held loosely in his grasp. Tiptoeing towards him, Jeongin crouched down. Even when he was asleep, Hyunjin managed to carry the angelic aura he often bore, Jeongin ignoring the beat his heart skipped as he took in the way Hyunjin’s eyebrows creased slightly and his lips pursed as he slumbered. Jeongin smiled apologetically. “I know you’ve had a really shit day, but I swear I’ll do anything I can to make tomorrow better.” Jeongin grabbed Hyunjin’s free hand. “Whatever is happening to you, I promise I’ll fix it, just please _please_ don’t die.”

“Jeongin?” 

He shot up again, facing Jisung who was standing at the doorway. “Hey. Um, look after him, please. Make sure he’s okay, and stuff.”

“Of course.” Jisung nodded sincerely, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he leaned against the doorframe. “Are _you_ okay, though?”

“Huh, me? Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just...” Jeongin glanced at Hyunjin. “It’s been a long day.”

The next morning, Jeongin sat in his usual seat for morning registration, waiting for his friends to arrive. The yellow notebook that lived in his blazer pocket was pressed to the wooden table in front of him, as he absentmindedly moved the pencil lead against the paper. All Jeongin could think about all night was Hyunjin. Was he doing okay? Had the vinegar solution killed the moss completely? Had it made things worse? Did he sleep alright? Did Jisung feed him? Was he able to even get up that morning? It was odd for Jeongin to care about anything that much. Yet, for some reason, he constantly found himself caring, wondering and worrying about Hyunjin an unusual amount. 

Seungmin and Felix entered the classroom, taking their regular seats and carrying on the discussion they were having as Jeongin attacked the page with his writing utensil. “Woah, calm down or you’ll rip through the paper.” Seungmin teased, taking out his planner. Jeongin dropped his pencil, flipping the notebook shut. 

“Have you found the memory card or your journal yet?” He asked abruptly. Seungmin shook his head. 

“No, and I’ve looked everywhere. You might be right, those witches must have done something to them, to stop us from, I don’t know, having evidence of their magic or finding out more than they want us to.” 

“Oh, right. That reminds me. I think I figured out how Hyunjin turned back into a boy.” Felix announced, his two friends snapping their heads in his direction. “Not yet, I‘m gonna wait for Hyunjin and Jisung to get here before I say anything.”

“Have you heard from Jisung? Is Hyunjin okay? I tried calling him this morning but he didn’t pick up. I don’t know if I should be worried or not, because it’s Jisung so I’m not surprised he didn’t pick up, but what if something happened to Hyunjin? I was gonna go to Jisung’s house this morning, but I was running late so I thought I would wait and give him the benefit of the doubt, but now I’m not so sure. I just want to make sure Hyunjin is- why are you looking at me like that?” 

Felix was grinning at Jeongin, his eyes shining. “You like him.”

“Who? Jisung? Ew, gross. That’s like liking your brother.” Jeongin pulled a face, and Seungmin and Felix exchanged deadpanned looks. 

“No, you idiot. He meant Hyunjin.” Seungmin explained, rolling his eyes in amusement. 

“What? You are joking, right? Why would I like Hyunjin?”

“Why not?” Felix challenged, causing Jeongin to falter. 

“Well... I mean... firstly, we have only known him for two days. Two days is not long enough to develop feelings for someone.”

“Hmm, I think that depends on the situation.” Seungmin raised. “It might have only been two days, but it feels like it’s been at least two weeks. Maybe even two months.”

“Time is a social construct.” Felix interjected, Seungmin clicking his fingers and pointing at him in agreement. 

“Okay, well, this entire ordeal hasn’t exactly been the most romantic situation for falling in love. I’m just worried about him. He was literally vomiting up moss yesterday, due to angry witches.” Saying it out loud reminded Jeongin how bizarre the situation was, but he had to accept it was really happening. 

“So, he doesn’t make you smile from just his smile, or his laugh? You don’t think about him when he’s not there? Even just the thought of holding his hand doesn’t give you butterflies?”

Jeongin froze. He was reading him like one of the many books they’d filed through the day before. With his ears heating up, Jeongin tried to divert the attention away from him. “You speak like you’re talking from experience, Seungmin.” 

Now it was Seungmin’s turn to go red. “What are you talking about? Don’t try and spin this on me, we are talking about you and your obvious feelings for Hyunjin.” 

Jeongin glanced at Felix watching Seungmin curiously upon hearing Jeongin’s remark, and Seungmin, who refused to look at either of them as he decided the contents of his school bag were far more interesting. Jeongin smirked to himself. “Look, I’m telling you that I don’t. If I did, I think I would know.” 

“Whoo, fifty seconds until the official start of registration. I’m early for once!”

The three of them snapped their heads to see none other than Han Jisung bound through the classroom door, followed by...

“Hyunjin!” Jeongin blurted, jumping out of his seat. The entire class eyed him strangely, Seungmin and Felix sharing a smug look. Jeongin sank back into his seat embarrassingly at his outburst, the two boys making their way over to the table. Hyunjin seemed way better than he had the night before, Jeongin finally allowing himself to breathe. “Are you okay? How do you feel now?”

Hyunjin smiled with a nod. “I feel much better, thank you sincerely for your help, all of you.”

“He spent the night heaving green stuff into the toilet. It was so gross, you should have seen it.” Jisung explained, a bit too excitedly. “My dad thought I was sick so, of course, I had to come up with an excuse.”

“Which was?” Seungmin questioned. 

“Rehearsing for the school play.” Jisung replied, without missing a beat. His friends stared at him, dumbfounded. “What? I told him that there’s a Christmas play on Friday afternoon of _A Christmas Carol_ , because we were studying it in English, and that I was playing the role of _Sick Boy_.”

“And he bought that?” Felix asked, in disbelief. 

Jisung grinned, complacently. “Dad’s never read _A Christmas Carol_ and he wouldn’t bother coming to watch me in a play even if I was the main character, saying he’s got work or whatever.” Jisung and his dad had an interesting relationship, one where it felt more like they were roommates rather than father and son. Jisung preferred it that way, though, he kept to himself and his dad kept to himself, but there would be moments when Jisung wished he would act more like a parent than a distant friend. This was not one of them. “Besides, the Christmas disco is on Friday, so it’s perfect.”

“You’re not going to that, are you?” Jeongin muttered, in distaste. 

“I thought we all were.” Jisung glanced at the boys innocently, who avoided his eye contact. “Hey, why aren’t we going? It might be fun.”

“It’s a school disco.” Seungmin stated. “Watching clothes dry in the sun would be more fun than that.”

Jisung kissed his teeth, in annoyance. “Come on, the Christmas holidays start next week. We won’t see each other properly for a whole _two weeks_. We might as well check it out.”

“Oh right, Christmas is next week.” Felix remembered. This perked Hyunjin’s interest, his eyes lighting up. 

“Christmas is next week? That is delightful, I remember Christmas being the most magical time of the year. Is it the same now as it had been back then?”

“What was Christmas like back then?” Jeongin asked, smiling to himself as Hyunjin described in detail the personal traditions he did with his family, like how they would collect leaves to make wreaths and crowns, and the blessing the Earth ceremony followed by a banquet which his parents would host every year for all the creatures of the forest, as well as the regular peoples’ traditions of holding bread making competitions, and singing hymns in the town square. Although he tried to hide it, the look of pain on his face was evident to Jeongin, as Hyunjin realised he wasn’t going to be able to experience that ever again. He wanted to reach over and hold his hand comfortingly, but decided against it as he thought about what Seungmin had said earlier, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. 

“That sounds so fun, Christmas isn’t much different now.” Felix elaborated. “We also make wreaths, and sing songs like carols and such, and we have feasts too. Usually we cook a huge turkey and have it as a meal, with side dishes and everything.”

“What is a _turkey_?” 

Jisung blinked. “You didn’t have turkeys in the middle- it’s a giant bird.” 

“You eat animals?!” Hyunjin exclaimed, in fright. “Oh, goodness, I could never do such a thing. Animals were the backbone of our society. They would plant, and harvest and prepare crops for our eating.” He noticed Jeongin smiling at him amusedly. “Apologies, I can see my ways are outdated in the future.”

No, you’re just really cute, Jeongin thought to himself absentmindedly. He shook it off, thinking someone was cute didn’t mean you liked them. Right? 

“On the contrary, not eating animals has actually made a comeback.” Jisung shot two fingers at Hyunjin. “You should join the vegetarian club.”

“We have a vegetarian club?” Felix asked, bewildered. “Since when did we have so many clubs?” 

“Speaking of, yesterday our head of year came into Joe’s and basically ordered Hyunjin to try and convince people to join the gardening club after school today.” Jisung informed them, and they all turned to Hyunjin who looked back at them nervously. 

Surprisingly, it was much easier to talk to people of the twenty-first century than Hyunjin had originally thought. At break time, he approached the first group of non-threatening teenagers he could find, which happened to be a group of girls in their year group. Needless to say, they were more than happy to listen to Hyunjin talk about plants and nature, blindly agreeing to come to the gardening club as long as he was there. He walked back to boys, the girls bursting into excited gossip over what just happened. Hyunjin grinned. “Those girls were nice.”

“I’m sure they were.” Jisung chuckled, knowingly. He pointed out a group of guys in their year who were kicking a football in a square. With a new found confidence, Hyunjin strode over, ready to enchant them with his extensive knowledge of the different types of flowers there were. As expected, the guys stopped what they were doing and listened attentively almost like they were in a trance, the ball forgotten about, and they agreed to come along to the gardening club, not realising what they had done until after Hyunjin walked away.

“Wow, he really is magical, isn’t he?” Felix gaped, watching with a hypnotised expression. 

“Whatever.” Jeongin and Seungmin scoffed at the same time, the both of them glaring at each other weirdly.

Hyunjin spent the rest of the day, up until lunchtime, talking to as many people as he could about the gardening club. Jeongin watched him the entire time, aware of the way he was getting slightly more and more irritated with every person he spoke to. He didn’t understand why seeing Hyunjin surrounded by so many people irked him. Or maybe he did, and he just didn’t want to acknowledge it.   
When it had actually approached lunchtime, though, Jeongin was startled as Hyunjin had found him, asking if he could speak to him about something.

It was only the second time they walked through the park opposite their school together, yet it felt like a routine. Like something they did together every day, without fail, like it was their normal. Silently, they strolled through the park, Jeongin peeking at Hyunjin from the corner of his eye, who had a happy smile plastered to his face the entire time. He really did feel his best when he was with nature. 

“Your classmates are very welcoming.” Hyunjin spoke up, finally, tilting his head in Jeongin’s direction. “I have managed to persuade a multitude of them to come to this gardening club. Honestly, I have surprised myself with this outcome.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe you managed to convince the kids in my school to care about gardening. It’s an actual miracle.” Jeongin scoffed amusedly. 

“Is caring about the planet not common in this present?” Hyunjin enquired, earnestly. 

“You could say that. I mean, it’s not like we see the actual effect on the planet, from our actions. It’s easy to not care.”

“Do... _you_ not care about the planet?” Hyunjin asked, quietly. Jeongin paused. He didn’t know how to answer that question. If you had asked him a week ago, he would have answered with a confirmative _no_. But now... now he didn’t know what to say. Could he really go back to not caring an ounce about the Earth once he genuinely _felt_ its emotions? And Hyunjin. Jeongin could see how much the planet meant to Hyunjin, after all it was his very life source. Would Jeongin be able to just not give a damn about the thing that was keeping Hyunjin alive? Really, it was keeping everyone alive. Without the Earth, and plants, there was no oxygen, and without oxygen they would die. Everyone would. Caring about the planet had always been chalked up as a hippy activist propaganda, something to be ridiculed and laughed about, but maybe there was some importance behind it. Jeongin definitely couldn’t ignore it when he had seen it first hand. 

“I think... that I could do a better job at looking after it, than I have been.” Jeongin turned to see Hyunjin smiling at him, causing a smile to spread on Jeongin’s face too. He carried on. “I don’t know, I just didn’t pay much attention to it. I spend most of my time inside. In fact, this week has been the most time I’ve spent outside in a long time.”

“Why do you not like going outside?”

“Because it’s cold.”

Hyunjin gave him an incredulous look. “You do not like going outside because it is cold? Are you also not going to play in the snow on Christmas morning because it is too cold?”

Jeongin scrunched up his shoulders pocketing his hands. “Well, it hasn’t snowed on Christmas in ages, so...” Hyunjin’s mouth dropped in shock. 

“Why, that is preposterous! Every Christmas Mother, Father and I made sure...” He trailed off, realising why it hadn’t snowed on Christmas morning every year for the last eight-hundred years. He smiled to himself, bittersweetly. “It is very lucky you have me, then.”

Without warning, Hyunjin grabbed Jeongin’s wrist and pulled him on to the grass, almost the same exact spot they had been when Hyunjin showed Jeongin the Earth’s emotions. Jeongin prayed his flushed cheeks were just a cause of the cold weather. Distancing himself slightly, Hyunjin’s eyes fell shut and slowly the sky began to cloud over. Unlike the many times before where Jeongin had witnessed Hyunjin’s powers in action, this time there was no wind. There was no rumbling of the ground, no leaves whizzing around them, not a single sound. Jeongin was utterly confused, until he saw it slowly glittering to the ground. Tilting his head back, he watched as the blank white sky above him started sprinkling tiny snowflake specs on to his palms and eyelashes. He gazed back at Hyunjin who was watching Jeongin with a grin, snowflakes falling between his yellow locks. 

Jeongin let out a laugh. “You did not just make it snow on command, you are seriously way too powerful. I can’t believe this. This is so _cool_.”

Hyunjin’s eyes shone as he ran up to Jeongin until they were face to face. “Cool as in cold or the other way you used it as?”

“Well, it is cold. Definitely cold.” Jeongin couldn’t help but giggle, before looking into Hyunjin’s eyes solemnly. “But it’s also really, _really_ beautiful.” 

They say the person you’re with when you see the first snowfall of the year is someone you’ll be with for a long time. Jeongin didn’t know if this would be the case for him and Hyunjin, but in that moment he knew he couldn’t kid himself any longer. As much as he hated to admit that he was wrong (but not as much as he hated admitting that Seungmin was right, which he often was), he was stood in the park, delicate white snow falling around him, staring in to the eyes of a boy who in a matter of only two days had managed to spin Jeongin’s entire world upside down in the best way possible. Even Jeongin could admit to himself at that point that he had undeniably, head-over-heels, fallen for Hyunjin. 

Damn you, Kim Seungmin.


	9. Chapter 9

“Oh, by the way, what did you want to speak to me about?”

Hyunjin blinked, his smile slipping slightly in confusion at Jeongin’s question, before he remembered. “Ah, as I had been talking with the people about the gardening club, they mentioned this Christmas _disco_ you were discussing yesterday. I was told that it would be most festive and that I... _defo_? I think that was the word, that I should _defo_ attend.”

“Oh.” Jeongin felt deflated. “Right, you wanna go to the school disco. Yeah, I mean, go ahead-“ He stopped himself. Was he really about to let Hyunjin, who just made it snow by closing his eyes, free in an assembly hall with hundreds of teenagers from this century, when Hyunjin didn’t even know what a disco was the day before yesterday? “Actually, that might not be such a good idea.” 

“Why ever not?” Hyunjin asked, genuinely. 

“So many reasons. You don’t want to go to our school discos, anyway. They’re so tacky and the music is so cheesy and all anyone does is stand off to the side by themselves. It’s a waste of time. Trust me you’re better off not even bothering.” 

“Oh.” Hyunjin’s head dropped slightly, as he mumbled the words that caused Jeongin’s heart to crack down the middle. “I had never been to one, so I would not know.” 

Jeongin’s face fell, seeing Hyunjin look so dejected. He sighed, annoyed at himself for giving in so easily. “You know, if we gave you, kind of, a rundown of what to expect and what to look out for, what to avoid, then... it could be okay. For you to go.”

Shooting his head back up, Jeongin’s breath caught in his throat as Hyunjin grinned, eyes wide. “Really? We may go?”

“Sure, if you really want- wait, _we_?”

Hyunjin nodded, eagerly. “Of course. Would you not accompany me, Jeongin?”

Jeongin felt paralysed as he tried to analyse what Hyunjin was saying. “Are you asking me to go to the disco with you?” 

“Yes, why would I not?” Hyunjin’s eyebrows furrowed. “It would be so marvellous if all of us could attend together.”

“Ah... all of us, as in me and you... and Seungmin, Felix and Jis... yeah, okay, um...” Jeongin scratched behind his ear, awkwardly. Gritting his teeth, he forced out the next words. “I’ll talk to them about it.”

Bursting with excitement, Hyunjin bounced up and down on the spot, the snow that had settled crunching under his feet, as he gathered Jeongin’s hands into his. “Wonderful! This shall be a momentous occasion- my, your hands are freezing!” 

“Yeah, I told you it was cold.” Jeongin coughed out, trying to control his heart rate as Hyunjin rubbed his hands between his palms. Pulling them out of his hold, he gestured ungainly towards the school. “We should head back now. Get out of the snow before we get low temperatures, or something.” 

The two walked in the direction of the school, Hyunjin buzzing off the prospect of going to a party for the first time in his life, and Jeongin smiling softly to himself. “You seem to be in a better mood.”

Hyunjin let out a refreshing breath. “Yesterday was yesterday, and today is today. We can only move forward, and today has been excellent. Every second of it.”

“And, your lungs?” Jeongin enquired. Hyunjin’s steps staggered slightly, but he recovered quickly and carried on. 

“They feel better. Much better, all due to the kindness of you and your friends.” He kept his eyes in front of him, as they re-entered through the school gates. 

“Hey, they’re your friends too.” Jeongin corrected, the two of them maneuvering through the crowd of people playing out in the snow, everything from snow ball fights to making snow angels. “You’re one of us now, okay?”

Hyunjin nodded, shyly. “Okay.”

When they entered the maths classroom, the first thing they noticed was Felix kneeling up on his chair with his face squished up against the window. They took their seats and Jisung explained that he hadn’t moved from that position since they arrived. “It’s so pretty!” Felix gawked, his pupils following the fragile specs falling through the air. “I can’t believe it’s snowing so close to the winter holidays, it doesn’t usually snow until March! It’s a Christmas miracle!” Jeongin glanced at Hyunjin, who winked at him, resulting in Jeongin almost choking on his own tongue. 

Since it was snowing and so many people turned up, way more than she ever could have prayed for, their head of year decided that they would hold the first session of gardening club in the assembly hall. Students were scattered around the chipped, wooden floor, holding empty plant pots in front of them with heavy bags of soil, fertiliser, watering cans and packeted seeds. After a gruelling welcome speech that had some of the kids dozing off or daydreaming, their teacher finally called Hyunjin to the front so he could explain how to plant a seed most efficiently.

“And she calls herself a horticulturalist, she doesn’t even know how to plant a... whatever plant this is.” Jisung scoffed, shaking a packet of apple tree seeds. Jeongin smirked humorously, dragging a finger through a thin layer of dirt that had leaked out of the bag beside him, listening to Hyunjin instruct in delicate detail. The entire room was hanging on to his every word, following his direction as best as they could. His voice was smooth and precise, like every word had been pre-planned, you could tell he sincerely cared about what he was talking about, so passionately that it made you want to be just as passionate about the same cause. Jeongin didn’t think he could like Hyunjin any more than he did, but once again, he was proven wrong. 

Soon, the room was bouncing off the walls with chatter and excitement every time another person successfully filled their pot. “So, this tiny seed is really gonna grow into a flower?” One girl gushed to Hyunjin and he nodded with a smile. “I know that’s how they work, but I didn’t know that’s how they _work_ , you know?” Hyunjin tilted his head, confusedly, before saying goodbye politely and moving on to the next person who needed help. 

“Hey, did I do it right?” Felix tapped Jeongin, accidentally getting some dirt on his white shirt. He mumbled an apology, before drumming the rim of his pot giddily. “Look, I’m making a ficus.” 

“You mean, growing.” Seungmin corrected, scrunching his mouth up at Felix’s exasperated expression. “Well done, though, Lix. Very impressive.”

“I’m gonna take it home with me, you can’t leave them outside because it’s too cold. Aha, kind of like Jeongin.” Felix giggled at his own joke, Jeongin dashing a sprinkle of dirt Felix’s way, which he dodged. Felix stuck his tongue out at him, bringing his focus back to the pot as he smiled proudly. Seungmin watched him fondly for a moment, noting how he had a brush of soil on the button of his nose, before snapping back to the apple tree he was helping Jisung plant.

“Are you not going to plant anything?” Jeongin startled, almost knocking the bag of soil over as Hyunjin appeared by his side, crouched down so he was ear level. “Would you like me to help?” Without another word, Hyunjin began preparing the dark green plastic plant pot between him and Jeongin as Jeongin absentmindedly picked up the first packet he could find. He held back a knowing grin, passing the package to Hyunjin, who studied the picture on the front. “An oak tree? Excellent choice.”

“I like oak trees.” Jeongin confessed, his voice softer than he intended it to be. 

Once the session was over, everyone had moved their pots into the gymnasium as it had more windows to allow the sunlight through. The five friends stayed behind to clear up all the discarded rubbish and clean up any spilled equipment. Dragging a broom across the floor, Jeongin searched for Hyunjin around the room who seemingly had disappeared. He shrugged, sweeping the spilled soil into a dustpan. Looking around, he couldn’t find a bin so he ventured out into the corridor for one. He had found what he was looking for, but beside it was something that frightened him enough to let the dustpan clatter to the floor, soil rolling off. “Hyunjin, what’s wrong?!”

The boy in question was hunched over against the bin, both hands clasped to his chest, face screwed up in great agony. Jeongin fell next to him, unsure of what to do. Until he thought of one thing that might help him. He tried to pick Hyunjin up and, to his luck, Jisung had exited the assembly hall at that exact moment. Upon registering what was happening, he ran over to help Jeongin. “What happened to him?!” Jisung exclaimed, one of Hyunjin’s arms around his shoulders, the other around Jeongin’s, the both of them supporting his waist. Jeongin just told him to follow his direction, and they shuffled as quickly as they could onto the school field. Once they had touched grass that was snowed over, they let Hyunjin collapse to the ground, and he laid sprawled out among the green blades poking through the white ice. Slowly but surely, the pain subsided and he could breathe again. He turned onto his back, heaving out heavy breaths as Jisung and Seungmin stared down at him perplexedly. 

“There... may have been... something I have not... told you about.” Hyunjin croaked out, between breaths. 

“And, it’s been going on from the start?” Seungmin asked, the five of them sitting in a circle on the school field. Jisung called Felix and Seungmin to meet them, after what happened, Hyunjin finally confessing something he’s kept secret since Monday. Despite the immense, wet cold seeping through their school trousers, they didn’t dare move Hyunjin off the grass until he was feeling completely better. 

Hyunjin nodded, sheepishly. “Since my first night here. It had been bearable, at first. Just a slight strain in my chest. I wished not to wake Jisung, and it was not grave enough for me to give it another thought. However... it had started to get stronger, more intense. I soon discovered the only thing that could stop the pain was if I was close to nature.” He turned to Jeongin, gratefully. “It was very clever of you, to figure it out so quickly.”

“Ah, well...” Jeongin trailed off, playing with his shoelaces. 

Hyunjin continued. “The time limit in which I can spend away from nature has decreased exponentially, and the longer I spend away the more the pain takes over.” He bit his lip worriedly, the four boys around him exchanging looks. 

“I swear I’m going to kill those bloody witches.” Jisung cursed, balling his fists. “They’re really holding an eight-hundred year old grudge against you, and for what? This sucks.”

“All the books I looked through weren’t much help.” Seungmin spoke up, remembering the books he had spent the better part of the night pouring over. “They explained a bit about how dark magic works but, nothing really on how it could affect someone who... who has dark magic inside them.” Seungmin whispered the last part. Though none of them wanted to admit it out loud, it was pretty obvious that dark magic lived inside of Hyunjin, which was what was causing him so many troubles. “It’s funny, dark magic is supposed to turn whoever possesses it evil. But, Hyunjin hasn’t? At least, I hope not.”

“Maybe that’s why.” Jeongin realised, the cogs turning in his brain. “Maybe that’s why your body is reacting like this, because it’s rejecting the negative parts of the magic.” Wow, Hyunjin was so pure that not even dark magic could turn him evil, Jeongin thought to himself as he tried not to coo. 

“Wait so, the witches might not be messing with Hyunjin now, but it’s the dark magic from the tree spell in the first place? You know what that means?” Jisung asked, everyone looking at him expectantly. “That means Seungmin really did lose his diary and memory card.”

“It’s a journal!” Seungmin exclaimed, throwing a chunk of snow at Jisung, hitting the collar of his shirt. “We don’t know anything for sure, all we know is that Hyunjin is seriously going through it right now, and we need to figure out how to make things better.” 

That’s when Felix remembered. “Wait, I figured out how Hyunjin turned back into a boy.”

“You what?!” Jisung yelled as Seungmin and Jeongin let out sounds of recollection.

“Yeah, I was reading this book called, um, _Rules and Restrictions of Dark Magic_ , or something? Turns out magic has, like, a bazillion loopholes.”

“What did you find out?” Jeongin urged. 

“Okay, so, magic is sort of like an agreement, like a contract. Dark magic, specifically, takes dark energy and converts that into tangible power. Are you following?” They all nodded, except Jisung who squinted at him. Felix carried on, nonetheless. “A spell is like a verbal contract, of taking this power and using it for your desire, but in turn you’re releasing more energy that can be reused for more spells.”

“What does any of this have to do with how Hyunjin-“

Felix cut Jeongin off. “Well, every contract has a loophole. There are so many, and not much different from the stories we used to read growing up. Now...” Felix hesitated. “There’s the most classic of them all, the one that we all know and hate-to-love. _True Love’s Kiss_.”

Jeongin’s eyes widened, the blood draining from his face. “What are you talking about? This isn’t a fairytale, Felix, a real life is at stake here-“

“Seungmin told me.” He confessed quietly. Snapping his head in the direction of Seungmin, who was staring at Felix like a deer caught in headlights, Jeongin’s mouth fell. 

“You- why would you- of course _you_ would tell _Felix_! Why am I even surprised?!”

Jisung and Hyunjin exchanged puzzled looks. “Can someone explain for the idiots in the room?” Jisung requested. 

“Well, you see, Jeongin-“

“Say another word and you’re eating snow, Lee!” Jeongin threatened, pointing a finger at him aggressively. 

“Come on, they were gonna find out eventually.” Seungmin reasoned, and Jeongin held back the urge to dig a tunnel through the ground below him. He let out a frustrated groan, burying his face in his hands, as Seungmin revealed the events that led up to Hyunjin’s transformation. The sound of Jisung cackling made Jeongin look back up, to see his so-called friend rolling around in the snow, clutching his stomach. 

“Oh, Jeongin, you sad, sad boy. If you wanted to kiss someone so badly, I’m sure you could have found a willing participant. You really didn’t need to resort to a tree.” 

“Hey, shut up! It was meant to be a joke.” Jeongin grumbled, crossing his arms irritatedly. After a long moment of Jisung laughing so hard he started coughing, Jeongin finally willed himself to peek in Hyunjin’s direction. Hyunjin had his head dipped slightly, his long golden hair falling in front of his face, but the faint red tint on his cheeks were far from unnoticeable. Jeongin winced, wishing _he_ could get turned into a tree at that second. How was he ever going to live this down? 

“Okay, Jisung, stop now. It’s not that funny.” Seungmin rolled his eyes, Jisung trying to calm his breathing down. “So, we figured out how Hyunjin turned back, thank you Lix. Now, we figure out how to get the dark magic out of him.”

“Okay, but, _True Love’s Kiss_? Don’t they have to be in love for that to work?” Jisung asked, dumbly. “How could that work if they didn’t even know each other?”

Felix smiled, looking as if he was trying to hold back a squeal. “True love knows no bounds. If two souls are destined to be together, then they’ll find their way to each other when they need them the most.”

Hyunjin and Jeongin locked eyes across the circle.


	10. Chapter 10

Thursday morning, the corridors of Jeongin’s school were filled with talks of the gardening club. Jeongin couldn’t believe his ears, kids his age actually cared about gardening? He was sure it was all due to Hyunjin’s charm, his sudden appearance at the school causing intrigue and mystique, and that it would probably wear off by the time everyone came back from New Year’s celebrations. Still, he was soaking in the fact that Hyunjin had actually managed to do it, with little to no effort. Jeongin had noticed that even _he_ was being influenced by the Great Boy Nature, and not just because he admittedly had the biggest crush on him, known to man. He was becoming more aware of his environment: instead of taking the bus, he woke up the extra half an hour earlier and walked; he made sure to be careful of flowers or any other type of ground plant as he knew that if he had trodden on it then it indeed would feel pain, maybe Hyunjin would feel it too; and after Hyunjin explained that animals used to be his friends way back when, Jeongin could feel himself develop an aversion to meat, which he knew wouldn’t bode well on Christmas Day, his mother always cooking the biggest turkey she could find. He still, however, refused to drink tap water, Jisung saying the words _dinosaur pee_ engraved in his brain for all of eternity. 

The sound of a plastic bottle hitting the wall broke him out of his thoughts. “Oi, the recycling bin is right there.” He berated the junior student, who mumbled an apology and retrieved the empty water bottle that he’d just kicked against the display board. Jeongin couldn’t help but smile triumphantly as the kid had disposed of the bottle in the right bin, before running off down the corridor. He never understood why year sevens would always run everywhere. Shrugging, Jeongin carried on walking.

After everything was revealed the afternoon before, the gang decided to regroup back at Jisung’s place, as well as dry off and get warm. On the way, Seungmin snuck back into the school gymnasium to retrieve Felix’s ficus, which Felix let Hyunjin borrow as even a pot of soil seemed enough to soothe him. But it wouldn’t cure him. They relayed all the information they knew: Jeongin kissed Hyunjin as a tree which turned Hyunjin back into a boy (something that neither of them had discussed with each other, despite knowing it was inevitable); dark magic was within Hyunjin, causing him pain unless he was in close proximity of nature; they needed to figure out how to get it out of him; and they still couldn’t find Seungmin’s lost possessions. Deciding to call it a day as it was obvious they weren’t going to figure anything out that night, the group made their separate ways. Jeongin wanted to talk to Hyunjin, to explain to him, to apologise to him, but whether it was out of tiredness, sheer embarrassment or the lack of words he was able to come up with, he gave up and went home. There was always tomorrow. 

Tomorrow had arrived much quicker than Jeongin anticipated, his feet moving him along the school corridors until they reached the science classroom. He knocked on the door three times, then two times, then once, before he entered. Seungmin was sitting in front of a microscope, a pair of plastic goggles perched on the top of his head, while Felix and Jisung had the dark magic books sprawled over a nearby table, open to various pages. Hyunjin was sitting beside Seungmin, his sleeve rolled up and holding a tissue against his forearm. “Did you take a blood test? Seungmin, what the-“

Seungmin shushed him, looking into the microscope attentively. Jeongin sighed, moving over to Jisung and Felix, and plopping himself down on a stool. “He does realise he’s not an actual scientist, right?”

“I heard that.” Seungmin announced, taking the goggles off and dropping them on the table with a clatter. “I’ve been waiting to do this all week, so let me do it my way.” Hyunjin glanced down at the tissue, peeking underneath to see his blood staining the white material, wincing. When Hyunjin agreed to get a _full body check up_ from Seungmin, he didn’t know exactly what it entailed. Seungmin assured him the worst of it was over after Hyunjin almost fainted at the sight of his blood being extracted from his own body. 

“Well, _Doctor Bizarre_ , have your tests actually found anything?” Jeongin snarked, Seungmin narrowing his eyes. 

“His blood cells look fine. BMI is fine. All sensory motors are working fine.”

“Yes, because this is an issue of magical proportions, Seungmin! Not an excuse for you to waste time playing _Doc McStuffins_!” Jisung yelled without looking behind him, flipping frantically through a book. 

“I just wanted to make sure we didn’t overlook anything. As far as I can tell, Hyunjin is, in all ways biological, a human. Well, aside from the fact his eyes light up green every time he uses his powers- as well as the fact he has magical powers. I assume that, the way there is dark magic inside him, there must be bright magic in him too.”

“Bright magic?” Jeongin enquired, turning as Felix began to answer. 

“Like all things in the universe, dark magic has its counterpart: bright magic. Hyunjin’s powers have come from bright magic, and right now the dark magic and bright magic are at war.” It was evident that they had spent a lot of time on researching how to help Hyunjin, something he couldn’t express his gratitude enough for. Jeongin looked at Hyunjin worryingly, but Hyunjin was looking into the distance, clearly in thought. 

“There’s one thing I wanted to find out, though.” Seungmin pressed a finger to his chin. “How has Hyunjin stayed young this entire time? I can understand if his regular growing rate had decreased to that of a tree, but an eight-hundred year old tree should not turn in to a teenage boy. He should be at least eighty by now.” 

“Look, Seungmin. You’re not gonna be able to explain matters to do with magic if you think logically. Magic is illogical, it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t have to, that’s why it’s so fun.” Jisung pointed out, moving on to another book. “Now, come help us get through the rest of these, if we don’t before the cleaners come in, we never will.” 

Seungmin groaned, trudging over and taking the book Felix handed out to him. Jeongin took in a deep breath, deciding this was his opportunity to talk to Hyunjin. Alone. Rising abruptly with his stool screeching way too loudly it caught everyone’s attention, Jeongin froze, smiling diffidently. He addressed Hyunjin, who was staring at him with wide eyes. “Can we speak for a moment? Just the two of us?” 

Closing the door behind him, Jeongin faced into the empty classroom which was next door to the one they had just been in, a timid Hyunjin placing Felix’s ficus down on the nearest table. Jeongin’s mouth was dry, his brain suddenly catching up to what was happening, and it went fuzzy. “Right. So. Um. I just wanted to kind of... explain myself? Justify? Excuse? I don’t know, I just needed to...” Jeongin trailed off, the alphabet vanishing from his memory. 

“It is alright, Jeongin.” Hyunjin spoke up, easing his nerves. “If this is about what I infer it is about, then it is okay.”

“Wh- what do you infer... that this is about?” Jeongin asked, trying to sound casual while coming across anything but. 

Hyunjin watched him for a moment, before releasing an amused giggle. “I think, rather than you apologising, I should thank you. Without you, I may have been stuck as a tree for the rest of my life.” 

“I mean, well, we don’t know for sure if that was because of- of what Felix said. It could have been a number of things.” Jeongin spluttered, leaning against the desk, attempting to make his voice as nonchalant as possible. Hyunjin stepped closer to Jeongin, causing him to straighten up slightly. 

“Why must we kid ourselves when we know the truth, deep in our hearts?” Jeongin swore his throat closed up at that moment because he couldn’t even swallow nervously. Hyunjin coughed out an awkward laugh, turning away slightly. “Forgive me for being so brazen, I have no experience when it comes to matters of the heart.” 

Jeongin couldn’t help but feel a pang in his chest. He didn’t want Hyunjin to confuse himself over the situation, who even knows if _true love_ exists? As much as he liked Hyunjin, he didn’t want Hyunjin to convince himself that they were destined to be together because of a dusty, old book from their run-down school library. “You know, just because Felix said... what he said, it doesn’t have to be true.” 

Hyunjin looked at him slowly, breathing out the next words. “I know. But how can I ignore it, when I have no doubt in my mind that I have already fallen for you, Jeongin?”

Usually, this would be the moment that Jeongin would wake up in his bedroom, his alarm blaring obnoxiously as he braved another cold, winter morning. However, his alarm didn’t go off. In fact, it was stark silent in the classroom, the two boys staring each other in the eye, Jeongin’s body not knowing which organ to set off first: his heart, his brain, or his tongue. It finally decided to do all of the above. “Wait, you, what, but why- I mean, are you kidding, like, this is a prank, right? I mean... huh?” His pulse was going a mile a minute. 

Hyunjin looked down, disheartened. “I can see that my feelings are not mutual. Apologies, please forget I had said anything.” 

“No! No, they are! Wait- I mean, sorry, I was just shocked I... I didn’t think, I didn’t know...” Jeongin forced himself to take a deep breath, speaking with determination. “I do like you, Hyunjin. A lot. And, I know it’s only been a few days, and as much as I tried to convince myself that I didn’t, I couldn’t deny it. You’re just so, you’re so kind. Truly kind, and the way you have so much love for nature is so endearing, and how you’ve taken the twenty-first century in your stride is so admirable, I don’t think I could do it if the tables were turned.” Jeongin hadn’t meant to say all of that, but it was hard to stop once you opened the floodgates. “You’re also so innocently adorable, I honestly can’t believe you’re even real.” 

Hyunjin’s expression was solemn the entire time, Jeongin fearing he may have royally blown it, until a smile started to spread on Hyunjin’s face, the corners of his eyes crinkling cutely. “I have also grown very fond of you, Jeongin. As aforementioned, I do not have much knowledge on love, I cannot say for certain if what I feel is love but I do know that you make me positively happy. You have shown me that I do not need to be ashamed of my abilities, that I can be myself and people will accept me for who that is. Your world is strange at times, but I have learnt that I very much enjoy it here. And I enjoy being here, with you.” 

Jeongin burst into a grin, the reality of everything finally sinking in. He liked Hyunjin, and Hyunjin liked him back. Things could not be any more perfect than that. High with ecstasy, Jeongin grabbed Hyunjin’s hand and laced their fingers together. “Let’s go help the others with those books. If you’re going to be here with me, then I’m going to make sure it’s as painless as possible.” Hyunjin nodded, matching his expression, the two of them carrying the ficus out with one hand each, their entwined hands between them. 

Seungmin peered over the top of the book he was reading to watch Felix, who had his complete focus on the page he was reading. Switching his gaze, Seungmin watched Jisung who was sitting slightly away from the two, doing the same as Felix. Willing himself, Seungmin placed the book down as quietly as he could, and tapped Felix on the shoulder. Felix let out a hum in response, and Seungmin tapped him again, Felix finally turning at attention. “Hi.” 

“Hey, Seungmin. What’s up?” Felix smiled, holding his book down against the table, a finger between the pages so he didn’t lose his place. 

“Um, so, you know how Jeongin is basically dragging us to the Christmas disco tomorrow.” Felix nodded, and Seungmin continued, making sure his voice was as smooth-sounding as possible. “Yeah, so, I was thinking I would, um, maybe, if you wanted me to, I could come pick you up and we could go together.” Felix’s eyebrows raised, involuntarily, causing Seungmin to panic. “Only because, you know, you always come pick me up in the mornings when we go to school so, you know, I thought I would just return the... favour, for once.”

Felix tilted his head. “That’s because your house is on the way to school so it’s easier for me to come pick you up than the other way around. So, you want to come down my way to pick me up, then walk all the way back your way?” 

Seungmin froze, wracking his brain even though he could feel it go on red alert. “I think the walk could do me some good, it’s good to walk, you know?” Felix stared at him. “Hey, don’t get any ideas, okay, we would just be going as friends. I just wanted to do something nice for my _friend_.”

“Right...” Felix drawled, finding Seungmin’s flustered manner adorable. “Okay, pick me up at five.” 

Seungmin nodded. “Okay, it’s _not_ a date.” Felix nodded back, and they resumed reading the texts they had just been scanning over, Felix biting back an excited grin. Jisung smirked to himself, having heard the entire conversation.

Hyunjin and Jeongin returned, the others immediately guessing what had occurred considering they arrived hand-in-hand. Seungmin finished the last page of the last book, and to everyone’s disbelief, they hadn’t found anything that was of any use to them.

“Why have so many bloody books on dark magic when none of them tell us how to get rid of dark magic?!” Jisung exclaimed, almost chucking a book labelled _So... You Think You Can Dark Magic?_ onto the table. “Whatever, let’s return these and head to Joe’s, I need a coke.” 

They gathered up the books and headed to the school library so Seungmin could return them as he had taken them out on his school ID, before making their way to the coffee shop. Hyunjin set down the ficus on the floor, next to his feet, Jeongin sliding in beside him. “Maybe it is not so bad, as long as I am with nature I seem to be fine.”

“So, you want to carry a ficus around with you, everywhere you go? No, we’re going to fix this. I promise.” Jeongin reached his left hand out to Hyunjin’s right, comfortingly. They smiled at each other. 

“Ah, young love.” Felix swooned, watching the two like he was watching his child on their wedding day. “Just kiss already.”

“Oh, no, Jeongin would only kiss him if he was twenty-foot tall and had branches sticking out of his head.” Jisung teased, Jeongin throwing a balled-up tissue at his forehead, as the others burst into laughter. The rest of the evening went by in the blink of an eye, any passerby would have glanced at the table and assumed they were just a group of ordinary friends, without a care in the world, unbeknownst to the fact that something was waiting in the shadows, readying themselves to attack when they least expected it.


	11. Chapter 11

Jisung’s room was a mess, exceeding the extent that it usually was. Clothes were disarray, more and more covering his carpeted floor as he continued to fling articles down, creating shallow piles. Hyunjin was sitting stiffly on the bed, watching as Jisung searched high and low through his wardrobe, as if he had a specific outfit in mind despite the whole point of him turning his bedroom into the floor of a dressing room was because he had no clue what to wear. Letting out a big sigh, Jisung turned on his heel and stared at Hyunjin. “Well, I have absolutely no clothes.”

Hyunjin blinked at him, unaware if he was being serious or joking. Jisung waved him over, kneeling down on the floor to go through the clothes he had just gone through once again. “You can pick something out to wear, if you’d like. Unless you want to go in the school uniform, which I wouldn’t if I were you. It looks like it’s seen better days.” Hyunjin glanced down at his outfit, dark patches of brushed off dirt and tiny pulled threads or tears were spotted around the blazer, his white shirt having almost tinted to the colour you would get if you soaked it in tea. Considering it had been three days since Hyunjin was handed the uniform to wear, and a lot had happened since then, it wasn’t really a surprise. 

The second school had ended for the day, as well as for the term and the calendar year as a whole, Jisung practically dragged Hyunjin home so they could get ready for the Christmas disco. The group agreed to meet outside the school gates for half-past five, meaning Jisung only had an hour to decide what he wanted to wear, which wasn’t an easy feat for him, due to the fact almost all of the clothes he owned were some variation of a hoodie or pyjama bottoms. 

Jisung shot his head up again, staring at Hyunjin analytically. “When was the last time you washed your hair?”

Hyunjin’s eyesight was compromised, when Jisung draped a towel over his head, rubbing at the wet strands he just helped Hyunjin wash. It hadn’t crossed Jisung’s mind that Hyunjin had never heard of the concept of shampoo and conditioner, since his hair was always so sleek and shiny. Must have good genes, Jisung thought as he plugged in the hairdryer. Hyunjin almost jumped out of his seat at the hot air blowing on the back of his neck, but Jisung kept him in place, explaining what a hairdryer was, allowing Hyunjin to get used to the feeling which he ended up deciding he quite liked. 

“Now...” Jisung drawled, flourish in his voice as the two stared into the bathroom mirror, Hyunjin’s hair soft and dry. “What hairstyle would you like today, sir?”

“Hairstyle?” Hyunjin asked, timidly. 

Jisung smiled, dropping his arm around Hyunjin’s shoulders, looking at his bare wrist as if there was an imaginary watch strapped to it. “Jeongin is coming over to pick you up in, like, half an hour.” He got an idea. “And, I have just the thing that will knock his socks off!” Jisung exclaimed, reaching into a basket on the side, full of miscellaneous items. 

“Why would we want to knock his socks off? Will his feet not get cold?” Hyunjin asked, innocently, Jisung shaking his head in amusement as he got to work.

Jeongin walked up the path leading to Jisung’s house, the sound of snow under his feet with every step. Pressing the doorbell, he waited patiently, bringing his jacket closer to his body as he could feel the cold trying to seep through. As gorgeous as the snow was, Jeongin couldn’t get over the fact it was so toe-bitingly freezing. Then he would remember Hyunjin’s gleeful face as the snow sprinkled around him and he’d tell himself, it’s not so bad. The door opened, mid-thought. “Woah.”

The outfit Hyunjin wore wasn’t totally awe-worthy, it being from the depths of Jisung’s closet contributing a major factor in this. He stood before Jeongin shyly, dressed in a pair of black jeans - that were just like the school trousers he borrowed: three-inches too short - and a plain white t-shirt, his arms and shoulders covered by a navy-blue bomber jacket. Since Jisung had abnormally small feet, he had to make do with the same trainers Seungmin had stolen from lost and found on the first night. After a lot of discourse, they decided that Hyunjin couldn’t lug a potted ficus around a school disco, so Seungmin suggested that they put some seeds and soil in an empty vitamin bottle and see if that would suffice. Hyunjin managed to sleep through the night without any pains with the vitamin bottle, so he had stashed it in the pocket of his jacket. 

Jeongin, himself, was wearing regular blue jeans and a black shirt, his usual cobalt parka shrugged on. Jisung appeared at the doorway, too, sporting the light-denim-jacket-over-a-grey-hoodie look, and smirked, crossing his arms. “Pretty, right?“

Jeongin nodded, as if he was in a hypnotic trance. “Very pretty.” Cheeks burning scarlet, Hyunjin absentmindedly brought a hand up to pat the two french plaits Jisung had skilfully woven in to his hair on the left side, before tying it up into a half-ponytail, two sections of loose hair shaping his face at the front. Jeongin snapped out of it, addressing Jisung. “When did you learn how to plait hair?”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Yang Jeongin.” Jisung clicked his tongue, with a wink. “Alrighty, you crazy kids get out of here and I’ll meet you at the gate.” He pushed Hyunjin out the door, lightly, and Jeongin gave him a puzzled look. “Well, I don’t want to third-wheel you on your date.”

“Jisung. You’re an idiot.” Jeongin laughed, yanking him out by his elbow.

When they reached the school gates, the sun having set due to it being winter time, Felix and Seungmin were already there, waving them over. Seungmin was in a pastel-blue button down shirt and dark-grey slacks, while Felix was wearing denim dungarees over a black turtle neck jumper. “Hey, we’re all matching! We look like a boy group!” Felix gushed. 

“As if.” Jeongin scoffed, students rushing past them in the direction of the music that could be heard booming from the assembly hall. “Right, let’s get this over with.” 

“Prithee, wait for a moment.” Hyunjin blurted out, the group halting their movements. “I have something I want to say. I had not a brother nor a sister, and making friends was scarcely an easy objective for me. For most of my life, all I had known were Mother, Father and the forest. It was nice, I had a happy childhood, however I always felt like something was missing. The longing for venturing into the town was something I tried to suppress greatly, but now that I have had a taste of the life that I wish I led, I cannot imagine anything but. And that is all because of you, all of you.” The boys looked at each other fondly, Hyunjin continuing. “I truly, _truly_ cannot thank you enough for aiding me in the troubles I have caused, and brought with me. At any moment, you could have chosen to cast me aside at your wish, but you did not. Your kindness is the most magnificent gift I could have ever received. Jisung, you let me into your home, you fed me, clothed me, you took care of me when you needed not. Felix, Seungmin, you both took the time and efforts to find solutions for my hardships, which is something I am eternally indebted to you for. And, Jeongin, you allowed me to open my heart and feel all the things any ordinary person should feel, you make me feel human. You have all taught me how it feels to have friends, how it feels to have brothers. I want you to know that is something I do not take lightly. Although it has been an incredibly short time that I have been honoured with, to be in your presence, it has been equally as incredibly amazing. I shall bear the loss of my parents forever, but I can honestly say I have found a family in you.”

“Oh, I can’t take it anymore! Come here!” Felix cried, jumping onto Hyunjin in a bear hug. This caused a group hug to ensue, filled with laughter and tears, random disco-goers eyeing them strangely as they hurried inside the school, but they didn’t care. They had each other and they were happy, that’s all that mattered. 

Once everyone calmed down, Jeongin pulled Hyunjin to his side as they all walked, whispering to him. “Okay, some things you should be aware of: for one, there’s this machine called a _speaker_ that plays music out loud so, don’t be alarmed at how loud it can get. There’s also probably going to be coloured lights and decorations, so just keep that in mind. Um... oh, people will probably be taking lots and lots of pictures and videos. Pictures and videos are... forget it, there’s not enough time to explain them, but if someone points a rectangle shaped thing at you, just freeze and smile.” Jeongin hummed, scanning his brain for anything else to include. “Oh, there’s food which you can eat, if there’s anything you’re unsure about, just ask me. And... I think that’s it. Generally, just stick with us.” Hyunjin stared at him, smiling softly. “What?”

He shook his head, dismissively. “You make me smile, that is all.” Jeongin rolled his eyes playfully, pulling a giggling Hyunjin with him as they finally entered the longly-anticipated Christmas disco. 

Upon arrival, the first thing Jeongin noticed was that it was very _very_ Christmassy. The walls were lined corner to corner with tinsel, Christmas bunting following underneath it. Under those, were tables, clothed with alternating red and green fabric, plates of varying desserts sitting on top, from mince pies to sugar cookies and, of course, no disco was perfect without a bowl of pick-and-mix sweets, filled to the brim with every confectionary you would find at your local corner shop. The main room lights were switched off, instead the spotlights that belonged to the drama department were shining light through coloured gel filters, tinting the room - you guessed it - red and green. An evidently artificial Christmas tree was in the corner, decorated to the nines with Christmas lights, more tinsel, silver and gold baubles, and a sparkling gold star perched at the very top. And, most of all, there were lots and lots of fairy lights. 

Jeongin scrunched his face up in distaste, already feeling a headache coming on, the colours and lights way too loud for his liking, nevermind the actual predictable, decades-old Christmas music, assumingly playing off of a Youtube playlist. Hyunjin, however, looked like he was a child visiting Santa’s grotto for the first time. His eyes sparkled as brightly as the glittering lights, trying to take in everything he was looking at. “This is breathtaking.” He grinned, utterly in awe. Jeongin tilted his head and squinted, wondering if that would help him see what Hyunjin was seeing. Sadly, it did not. 

“You know what I’m thinking?” Jisung asked Felix, the both of them yelling, “Food table!” at the same time, dashing across the floor. 

“Hah, Seungmin. Jisung just stole your date.” Jeongin antagonised him, Seungmin grumbling that it wasn’t a date, while following after them. Jeongin turned to Hyunjin, raising his voice over _Jingle Bell Rock_ blaring through the speakers. “Well, you’re at your first party. How do you feel?”

“I feel... I feel alive.” Hyunjin sighed in content, his eyes still washing over the decorations that the disco committee definitely purchased from the pound shop. “This is what it feels like to be alive.”

Jeongin spluttered out a laugh. “You can literally feel the Earth’s emotions, and a Christmas disco is what makes you feel alive? Okay...” Now it was Hyunjin’s turn to roll his eyes, something that shocked Jeongin as he’d never seen him do it before, Hyunjin urging him to join the others at the snack area.

Hours passed, the heat in the crowded assembly hall reaching a concerning temperature. As expected, no one had danced, everyone creating a circle around the perimeter of the room, the middle bare. There were many photos taken, Hyunjin startling at first by exactly how many people had these suspicious looking devices. Heeding to Jeongin’s advice, every time someone shoved one in his face - which, due to his popularity from the success of the gardening club, was far too many for comfort - he would freeze and smile, learning that they would just snap the picture then disappear within a matter of seconds. For the most part, the five had spent their time by the food, talking amongst themselves or engaging in short conversations with their fellow classmates. As tedious as it sounded, Hyunjin was enjoying himself immensely. There were many questions thrown his way: where was he from? Why did he move to their town? Was he single? To which, Jeongin or Jisung would jump in with a reply, the last question leaving Jeongin babbling awkwardly, trying to switch the topic of conversation. 

Speaking of Jeongin, he was nowhere to be found. Hyunjin frowned, asking Felix, Seungmin and Jisung if they knew where he went. Jisung suggested maybe he went to the toilet, causing Hyunjin to immediately leave the assembly hall in search of him. Not locating him there, Hyunjin accidentally turned into a stairwell, starting in surprise. “Hello. I came looking for you.”

“Well, you found me.” Jeongin mustered up a weak smile, sitting on the third step from the bottom. 

Hyunjin moved forward, taking a seat beside him, asking concernedly. “Is something the matter?”

Jeongin leaned his head against the wall next to him, blowing air out of his cheeks. “Nah, I just, I got a call from my dad and he was kind of mad about something, but it’s no big deal.”

“What happened?” Hyunjin asked, cautiously. 

Taking a beat, Jeongin lifted his head and faced him properly. “He just has an issue with the fact I don’t want to become a lawyer, like him. Like, I get it, it pays well, but...”

“But you want to make art?” 

Jeongin blinked rapidly. “How... how did you know that? I never told you that, I never told anyone that.” 

Hyunjin gazed down, modestly. “I know you like to draw in that, what is it called? _A notebook_? The one you keep on you at all times. And you like to draw with your finger a lot, too.” Hyunjin gestured, making a squiggly line in the air. It was true, Jeongin was found constantly scribbling into the small, yellow notebook that lived in his blazer pocket. And, whether it was spilled sugar or a trail of soil, if Jeongin could manipulate it into some form of artistic expression, you could bet he would. His friends knew he liked to draw, but they didn’t know the extent of which he wanted to genuinely pursue a career in art. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Dad would kill me if I even tried to study something that wouldn’t lead me to a high-paying job the second I graduate from university.” Jeongin blew air out of his nose. “He found my secret stash of art supplies that I hid under my bed, and threw it away.”

Hyunjin brought a hand to his mouth. “That is horrible! Why on Earth would he do such a thing?!” 

Jeongin let out a mirthless laugh. “Because he’s my dad and he does whatever he wants. Whatever, it’s fine. He always gets his way in the end, it’s a waste of my efforts if I fight him on it.” 

“Jeongin,” Hyunjin began, clasping his hand on top of Jeongin’s which was placed on his own knee. “When you have a passion for something, you do not simply give up and give in.”

“Passion? I don’t know, I’ve never thought of it as a passion. I just can’t picture myself doing anything else with my life.” Jeongin thought of something suddenly. “What would you do, if you could be anything in the world?” 

“I am not sure, I always assumed that I would grow up and take care of the forest, as Mother and Father did.” Hyunjin responded, after pondering it for a moment. “But, Jeongin. If you cannot see anything else as your life’s purpose, then it is indeed your passion. I fear that your father’s hold on you has made you not see this.”

Jeongin paused. Was it his passion? Truth be told, Jeongin never really understood what passion was. He knew Seungmin had a passion for photography, that much was evident, and Hyunjin had a passion for nature. Art wasn’t the very thing he lived and breathed, but maybe it wasn’t as simple as that. “Maybe. I don’t know, it doesn’t matter anyway. Even if I did manage to go through with it, I’m probably not good enough to actually create a steady career.” 

“Why do you have such little faith in yourself? I have seen your drawings, Jeongin, and they are extraordinary. Mother always said: ‘ _You are only as strong as your weakest thought_ ’. Believe that you can achieve it, and you shall.” 

A half-smile appeared on Jeongin’s face, his dimple a prominent concave on his cheek, Hyunjin’s heart fluttering more than he’d like to admit. “Thank you. You’ve given me a lot to think about. I guess, no one has ever put it like that for me.” Jeongin placed his hand on top of Hyunjin’s. 

“Well, I am very glad that I could do that, then.” Hyunjin chuckled, before looking into Jeongin’s eyes, solemnly. The boom of music coming from the assembly hall started to fade away, both boys solely focusing on the other. Jeongin couldn’t help but take in Hyunjin’s features: though his eyes were covered by the same brown contacts, Jeongin swore he could see the glowing green underneath if he looked hard enough. Jeongin’s eyes travelled down to the tiny eye mole under his left eye with a fainter one on his right cheek. Then, his gaze fell to his lips, the bottom one a naturally pink colour while the top had a peach tint, shaped beautifully. Now, _he_ was breathtaking, Jeongin thought, as he started to lean forward without realising it. Hyunjin closed his eyes, also moving inwards, when right before they would meet in the middle, his head swerved, hitting Jeongin’s shoulder. 

Jeongin blinked in confusion, a slight panic setting off in his brain that he’d just been pied off, until he could feel Hyunjin’s dense breath push against his shirt, before his hand shot to his head like a magnet, letting out a low groan. “Hyunjin? Hyunjin?!” Jeongin tried to lift his head up, but that just caused Hyunjin to lose his balance, toppling down the, thankfully only, three steps of stairs and landing to the floor with a thud. Eyes wide and heart racing in panic, Jeongin crouched next to him while Hyunjin continued to grab his head, eyes screwed shut tightly. “Hyunjin, what’s wrong?! What happened?! Do you have the vitamin bottle with you?!” Searching through his pockets, he found that he indeed had the vitamin bottle filled with soil on him, yet he was still squirming on the ground. With shaky hands, Jeongin grabbed Hyunjin’s face, pleadingly. “Come on, you can fight it. You’re stronger than this. I believe you are, you need to too. Please!” 

Hyunjin continued to release moans of agonising pain, barely able to keep his eyes open, Jeongin feeling his own eyes sting with tears at seeing Hyunjin this way. Suddenly, he got an idea. “I’ll be right back.” He told him, running out of the stairwell as fast as his feet would take him until he was back at the assembly hall. Yanking the door so hard that it ricocheted off the wall, Jeongin scanned the room for his friends, relieved to spot them in the far corner. He caught Felix’s eye, well, he caught everyone’s eye due to the commotion he was making, and the look on his face told them that he needed them. Felix, Jisung and Seungmin crossed the floor, only making it half way when it started to rumble. The decorations on the walls teetered, sliding down one by one. The baubles on the Christmas tree clattered to the ground, and the biscuits from the snack table broke on impact. Everyone screamed, ducking under whatever shelter they could find, the three boys finally reaching Jeongin at the front entrance. They asked him what was wrong, chaos still ensuing behind them. “It’s Hyunjin.” Jeongin looked like he was fighting back tears. “I think the dark magic is killing him.” 

The winter air was cold, but none of the boys could tell, not even Jeongin, as blood pumped through their veins, their legs pumping with them. Hyunjin had either arm around Jeongin and Jisung’s shoulders, while Felix and Seungmin supported his legs, attempting to make their escape to the forest, on Jeongin’s instruction, as quick and efficient and possible, the shaking ground not making anything easier for them. Once they reached the wooded area, they made a beeline for the campfire site. The sky seemed to match the severity of the situation, ominous grey clouds looming over them against an inky black canvas. Hyunjin laid down on the snow, his face almost camouflaged as he had paled to a scarily white colour, still scrunched up in intense anguish. 

“It’s not working, it should work, why isn’t it working?!” Seungmin rambled, his panicked breath materialising in the cold air. This gave everyone a foreboding feeling in the pits of their stomachs since Kim Seungmin does not panic. 

Jisung almost lost his balance, at another tremor running through the dirt. “Didn’t Hyunjin say that, when the dark witches tried to kill him and his parents that the Earth started shaking because-“

“If Hyunjin dies, then the Earth dies too.” Felix finished, all of them glancing at Hyunjin who was curled up into a foetal position, palms pressed tightly against his temples. 

“Felix,” Jeongin addressed him, trying to clear his thoughts and fears, so he could attempt the idea he came up with moments ago, praying it would work since it was the only one he had left. “You said magic is like a contract, right? Like an agreement?” Felix nodded, scared about whatever Jeongin had planned to do. Jeongin turned away, screaming into the sky. “Oi, dark witches! I know you’re there! Come out and we can settle this once and for all!” Save for the rustling leaves and vibrating twigs, there was no movement. Jeongin tried again. “I’ll make you a deal! If you leave Hyunjin alone, and get rid of the dark magic inside of him... then you can take me instead!”

“Jeongin, are you crazy?!”

“What the hell, Jeongin?!”

“Huh?!” 

Upon hearing this, Hyunjin finally willed himself to breathe out some words. “No, Jeongin... you... you cannot...”

“Look, if Hyunjin dies, then we all die. I’m the one that caused all of this to happen, so I should be the one who pays for the consequences.” Jeongin swung back, as the wind picked up suddenly, whooshing through the trees at an alarming pace. “Oh, my god, it worked...” 

Dark shadows cast through the clouds, all-too-akin with something out of a Harry Potter book, closing in on the small huddle the boys had created. Seungmin shoved Jeongin’s shoulder. “This is ludicrous! You can’t just sacrifice yourself!”

“Yeah, Jeongin, this is too much!” Felix and Jisung screamed, crowding the raven-haired boy. 

“What am I supposed to do?! Let the world crumble into nothing, let almost eight billion people die because _I_ thought it would be funny to kiss a goddamn tree?!” Jeongin swore exasperatedly, the wind whipping at their clothes and hair ferociously, snow flying upwards as if you had filmed the snowfall and played it on rewind with double-speed. 

Too busy dealing with the break in reality Jeongin was experiencing, none of the four boys had noticed that Hyunjin had stopped wincing. The pain that strained through his forehead, as if someone was poking needles all over his skull like a pin cushion, had gradually subsided. Hyunjin pried his eyes open, rubbing them with the balls of his hands, oxygen heaving in and out of his lungs. Before he could even question what was happening, the pain had been replaced with whispers. Lots and lots of whispers. Voices talking over one another, almost like they were arguing, until finally one voice had become the most prominent of them all, the words seeping into his brain as clear as day. 

Like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time, Hyunjin forced himself to rise to his feet, catching the other boys’ attention. Jeongin pushed past them, running to him. “Hyunjin? What- are you okay? What’s going on? Did it work-“

“I promise that you will live in my memory for an eternity.” Hyunjin cut him off, before grabbing his face and pressing their lips together. Shock electrifying through his body, Jeongin froze for a second, until he slowly kissed him back. Both of their hearts began to beat at the same pace, almost as if they were beating as one, and it took every last scrap of willpower Hyunjin had to do what he did next. 

Using the very final ounce of strength he had left, he put his hands on Jeongin’s chest and pushed him as hard as he could. Jeongin stumbled backwards, falling into the snow. Lifting himself on to his elbows, he screamed as a foggy wind encircled Hyunjin, twirling around him like a tornado. Jeongin vowed that Hyunjin had mouthed the one word that could tear him in half: _goodbye_. He clambered up, as fast as he could from the slippery surface, attempting to run into the vortex, but felt three different pairs of arms hold him back. Jeongin screeched, yelled, cursed at them to let go, kicking at the ground as he tried to get out of their restraints, but it was no use. Almost all at once, the dark shadows, the foggy wind and the sinister clouds had dispersed. The ground stopped shaking abruptly, the wind settling with it. Jeongin finally managed to elbow Jisung in the gut, to which he let go with a hiss, allowing Jeongin to break free from the other two. 

“What did he do?” Seungmin breathed, his chest rising and falling intensely. 

Felix mirrored his actions, swallowing so he could say the next words. “He made an agreement.” 

Tears streamed down Jeongin’s cheeks, and blood rushed to his eyes. Hands trembling, he reached out and delicately traced the bark of the sleek oak tree which was standing before him. It had an unusually smooth trunk, lighter in colour than most oak trees you would find, and its leaves were a mustard yellow, tinging orange at the edges. Jeongin crumbled, falling at its roots as he wept loudly, Felix, Seungmin and Jisung hurrying over to hold him while he sobbed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: there is one chapter left ahhh :D  
> thank you for reading this far, you’re a real one <3


	12. Chapter 12

Winter break was almost at an end, meaning school children all over the country were getting ready to return to their respective educational establishments in preparation for the second term of the academic year, including, Jisung, Felix, Seungmin and Jeongin. Not much had happened since the night Hyunjin turned back into a tree, the four boys having been busy with family and Christmas celebrations. Their head of year finally managed to get hold of Jisung’s dad, resulting in Jisung waffling harder than any exam he had ever written. The story he created was: Hyunjin was a runaway that they found in the woods, and they didn’t feel right leaving him by himself so they took him in, however after the Christmas disco he had run away again without a single word. Of course, Jisung’s father was disappointed, but more so for the fact Jisung hadn’t told him about it. “If you told me then I could have helped you,” Mr Han told his son, to which Jisung apologised profusely and they hugged it out. Their head of year, unfortunately, wasn’t so forgiving as she disciplined Jisung into a week of detentions as well as the task of organising every single storeroom cupboard in the school, for lying and deceiving. You can’t have everything, I guess. 

Although Seungmin, Felix and Jisung kept in touch throughout the holiday break, meeting up on Christmas Eve to exchange presents, all that they received from Jeongin was radio silence. Worried, the boys tried to visit him but his mother would answer the door and inform them that Jeongin would barely leave his room all day, except for once a day to go on a walk. All three of them reckoned they knew where he was going. 

By Christmas morning, Jeongin’s father had enough. Barging into his son’s room, he began to lecture Jeongin on the importance of spending Christmas with your family and loved ones, and that hiding away from society wasn’t going to solve his problems. “You’re right, Christmas _is_ about being with loved ones.” Jeongin retorted, before clambering down the stairs and storming out the house, making a direct route for the campfire site. To answer the burning question: yes, Jeongin had tried to bring Hyunjin back with a kiss, yet his efforts came to no avail. He didn’t care if he looked pathetic, he didn’t care if his friends pitied him, all he cared about was Hyunjin and being with Hyunjin. They say plants listen to you when you speak, so Jeongin made a promise to himself to visit him once a day, and even if he couldn’t hear Jeongin’s seemingly endless rants about his day or whatever random thoughts he was thinking in the moment, he knew that even just being in his presence was enough for Hyunjin to know he was there. 

When Jeongin had returned home, though, he appeared with his tail between his legs. It struck him that, as much as he and his father were like fire and ice, he was still blessed with the opportunity to be with both of his parents for his whole life, let alone on Christmas, something he knew Hyunjin would do anything to experience again. The rest of the day went by smoothly, Jeongin’s father surprised by his change in tune that even he managed to suppress his usual snide remarks on Jeongin’s grades or hobbies, all for the sake of Christmas spirit.

New Year’s Eve approached, and Jeongin was sitting on the forest floor, his back leaning against the bark of the most ethereal oak tree of them all. A pencil in his hand, he dragged the graphite lead across a new sheet of paper from a sketchbook he’d recently purchased, talking to himself - and Hyunjin - mindlessly. Jeongin decided to try and take art more seriously, and the prospect of that leading to a possible career path granted him a small slither of excitement, enough to push him on. The snow had melted completely, but the air remained harsh and crisp, something Jeongin was learning to not mind as much as he did before. Glancing around at the trees which had shed their leaves, he couldn’t help but smile. Despite all the horrible things that went on in that particular forest, something about the echoing quiet brought solace to Jeongin, the never ending sky above him allowing him ease to breathe. Jeongin finally understood what it meant when people would say: _nature is beautiful_.

Three figures appeared in the distance, Jeongin closing his sketchbook and sitting up to greet them. “Hey. We figured you’d be here.” Jisung spoke first, plopping down beside Jeongin with a relaxed grunt. 

Jeongin pressed his lips together in a thin smile. “Sorry I’ve... kind of disappeared. I just needed some time.” 

“It’s okay, we get it.” Felix smiled comfortingly, holding Jeongin’s shoulder. “But, you didn’t think we were gonna let you get out of our annual New Year’s Eve sleepover-that’s-not-actually-a-sleepover-because-we-stay-up-all-night, did you?” Jeongin faltered in remembrance, before subconsciously looking up at the oak tree, thinking Hyunjin would have enjoyed coming to the sleepover. 

Jeongin’s eyes fell down to the sketchbook clutched in his lap. Hyunjin wouldn’t want him to spend the rest of his life mourning the loss of him. He’d want him to live it, and take every moment in his stride. “Okay, I’ll come to the sleepover. As long as I get to pick the first movie we watch.”

“Deal.” Jisung laughed with a grin, before exclaiming. “I almost forgot!” He dug through his backpack until he finally pulled something out, stretching it towards Jeongin. “I was cleaning my room - I know, right - and I found it wedged between my desk and wardrobe.”

Delicately, Jeongin took the crown-like wreath between his fingers, the one Hyunjin had worn when they first met, breathing out a bittersweet laugh, feeling his eyes well up. “I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone like him. Not just because he had weather manipulating powers, or whatever. He was just so pure, and selfless. Hyunjin agreed to turn back, to save everyone else. He taught me so much about just enjoying the moment, and appreciating what’s around me. I just... I wish I could see him again, and not like this,” he gestured behind him vaguely, “but as Hyunjin, _my_ Hyunjin, you know? I just... I miss him so much.” 

“I miss him, too.” Seungmin admitted, everyone looking in his direction. “I’m sure we all do.”

“Yeah, I was drinking hot chocolate earlier and all I could think about was Hyunjin.” Felix agreed, smiling fondly.

Jisung nodded. “I was getting used to having him around, it made me feel less lonely when I’m at home. Plus, he was getting scarily good at playing video games, I was thinking of starting a joint stream.” 

“Hyunjin has touched all of us, in one way or another. We’ll always carry him with us, you know that, right?” Seungmin told Jeongin. He swallowed, inhaling a deep breath, before shoving the sketchbook into his backpack, along with the wreath, and brushing himself off as he rose. 

“You’re right. As usual.” Jeongin bit his lip, looking up at the oak tree while Jisung and Felix followed his movements. “But, I just want him back.”

Felix and Seungmin exchanged a sympathetic look, before Felix brought his arm around Jeongin. “Come on, let’s go to Joe’s and get some drinks before we get ready for the sleepover.”

As they walked through the still forest, feeling like it was the end of another chapter, their good-old friend wind passed through them, knocking the breath out of their lungs. Whistling away, the forest floor rattled its fallen leaves and twigs, causing Jeongin to yank his body around, hope seeping through his bloodstream. The same foggy wind, that Jeongin had only witnessed twice before in his life, rippled around the oak tree in waves, before diffusing into the light blue sky, the sun reaching its peak height and shining down on the forest, glimmering off a head of golden locks that stood in replace of the oak tree. Felix, Seungmin, Jisung and Jeongin couldn’t believe their eyes, they refused to believe their eyes, until they heard, “Jeongin? How am I here? Do not tell me you kissed a tree, again.” 

Like his feet were zapped with electricity, Jeongin dropped his backpack and bounded over to him, leaping into Hyunjin’s arms, wrapping his own around his shoulders. He was smiling so wide he was sure his jaw would lock. Jeongin pulled back, almost at a complete loss for words until he found some. “What’s happening? How have you... how is this possible?! I tried, I tried to bring you back but it wasn’t working. I- I thought the dark witches got rid of the dark magic inside you, or something, so there was no spell to break because it didn’t work, so... how... how...”

“Loopholes!” Felix screamed, running back over with Seungmin and Jisung on his tail. “Another common loophole to magic: _a selfless deed shall grant a wish_. Both Jeongin and Hyunjin sacrificed their own lives or happiness, and both of you must have had the same wish. To be together again.” Felix tried his best not to faint from swooning so hard. “It’s a New Year’s miracle!”

Jeongin looked back at Hyunjin who was already looking at him. Hyunjin smiled. “Well, I remembered you for an eternity. Turns out an eternity is not as long as you think it would be.” Bursting into another grin, Jeongin held Hyunjin tightly once more, a mixture of feeling scared he would disappear again and never wanting to let him go. “Can we do one of those _group hugs_ we did last time, I quite enjoyed that.” Hyunjin muffled in to Jeongin’s shoulder, and the other three cheered, joining the huddle, Jisung getting a bit too excited as he pushed a little too hard and caused all of them to topple into a dog-pile, filled with shouts of reprimands and bouts of laughter. 

The trees blossomed with bright green leaves, the sun shining so brightly you could almost hear it twinkle. Jeongin brought the back of his hand up to wipe the perspiration off of his forehead, frowning slightly. “Why is it so flippin’ hot?!”

“Maybe it is because of you.” Hyunjin giggled, pulling Jeongin along the path with their swinging entwined hands. 

Jeongin raised an eyebrow. “Has Jisung been teaching you pick-up lines, again? I told him to stop, but he’s Jisung so I’m not surprised he didn’t listen.”

“He is just trying to help me speak more colloquially.” Hyunjin defended, further explaining. “He has taught me a plethora of words and phrases, like _selfie_ , and _twerking_ \- ooh, and um... _wag-one-painting_?” 

Jeongin stared at his boyfriend in disbelief. “Okay, you are no longer allowed to speak to Jisung ever again.”

“That will be hard, considering we live under the same roof.” Hyunjin teased, Jeongin rolling his eyes and leading Hyunjin down the path quicker. 

A lot has happened since Hyunjin turned back into a boy. For the second time. Jisung sat his father down and explained that Hyunjin had come back, trying to use all the charm and skill he had to convince him to let Hyunjin stay with them. His father was unsure at first, but when he actually met Hyunjin and realised he was just a lost boy who found someone who would fight for his corner, he couldn’t will himself to say no. There was no trace of Hyunjin in the system at all, so after a far-too-long paperwork process, Hyunjin was legally under the care of Jisung’s father. Han Hyunjin has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? 

Hyunjin was then enrolled into their school officially, confirming to the five that they were reunited for good, Jeongin and Hyunjin spending the next six months properly getting to know each other without needing to worry about dark witches or the world dying, just regular teenage boy stuff, before inevitably falling in love. ”Just as the prophecy said they would.” Felix sighed, dreamily. Everything was right in their world, however there was one other change in Hyunjin’s life. 

After one last sweep of the internet on all things magical, they found that the spell which was casted through bright magic, to turn Hyunjin back, was cast with an underlying unlinking spell, severing Hyunjin’s tie to the Earth. They gathered that this must have been because Jeongin and Hyunjin wished to be together, and as long as Hyunjin was connected to the Earth he would not be able to die, or grow old, the way Jeongin would. But, severing his connection to the Earth not only made him entirely human, but also rendered him of all his god-given powers. 

“Do you ever miss it?” Jeongin spoke up, softly, cutting through the peaceful quiet as he stroked the back of Hyunjin’s hand with his thumb. “You know, your powers and stuff. Feeling the Earth’s emotions?” 

Hyunjin licked his lips in thought, both of them ducking under a low-hanging branch. “Of course I miss it. It was a part of my very soul for my entire life.” He gazed at Jeongin, who looked down guiltily. “However, I would much rather be here, feeling the warmth of your hand in mine.”

“God, you’re so cheesy.” Jeongin faked scrunching up his face in disgust. 

“Only because I love you.” Hyunjin stated boldly, still managing to set Jeongin’s heart off after all this time. 

“And, I love you.” Jeongin pressed a quick kiss to Hyunjin’s cheek. “Alright, let’s hurry up. The others are probably waiting.”

Stepping through the clearing, they spotted Jisung, Felix and Seungmin who turned at the rustling of their footsteps. Greeting each other as if they hadn’t just seen one another at school a few hours prior, it being the last day of the academic year thus the start of summer holidays, they stood in a line in front of the well, so they could begin the ceremony. Hyunjin blew air through his lips, starting his prepared speech. “For the ones who have fallen too early, for the ones who have fallen unjustly, we bring you nothing but good blessings and an everlasting happiness. May your spirits remain with the Earth, and may your legacies be recollected for as long as consciousness exists.” Hyunjin released a shaky breath, feeling a tear drip down his cheek, as he dropped the white rose he was holding, watching it disappear into the depths of the well. “Rest peacefully, Mother and Father.” Jeongin squeezed Hyunjin’s hand tightly, leaning his head against his shoulder in consolation. 

“Where are you taking me?” Hyunjin demanded, waving his arms in front of him, almost accidentally poking Felix in the eye. 

“Just wait a little bit more.” Jeongin laughed, holding his palm to Hyunjin’s eyes as a blindfold while he guided him along, Jisung and Seungmin pushing some branches out of the way so they could walk through. After what _felt_ like an eternity, Hyunjin could finally see again. He blinked rapidly, allowing his eyes to focus before his jaw dropped in astonishment. 

“What is all this?” Hyunjin’s jaw stayed slack as they all took their seats on the thin bedsheet. 

“You didn’t think we were gonna pass up the opportunity to tick off _surprise birthday picnic_ from your bucket list, did you?” Seungmin grinned, helping Felix uncover all the containers of food, one including Felix’s famous double-chocolate fudge brownies. There was even a flask of hot chocolate, just for Hyunjin. 

“But... my birthday is not for another several days...?” 

“That’s why it’s a surprise.” Jisung winked, helping himself to a bag of crisps. 

“This is amazing, all of you are amazing.” Hyunjin smiled at them, his eyes lighting up, and no, not the way they used to, but Jeongin reckoned they still shone just as brightly. Suddenly remembering, he grabbed through his bag until he found it, dropping the crown wreath on Hyunjin’s head, startling him, as he smiled sheepishly. 

Once they had eaten until their stomachs were bursting at the seams, it was time to open presents. Seungmin went first, bringing out a massive, rolled up piece of A2 forest-green sugar paper. Pulling the elastic band off, he flattened it out to reveal a collage of pictures he had taken since September until June. “This is my project for the photography club, on nature. I wanted to give this to you because, well, if it wasn’t for this project then Jeongin and I wouldn’t have found you out here and... well, the rest is history.” The pictures for December were missing, none of them surprised by this as they had finally figured out the mystery of the missing memory card and journal. It turned out that Seungmin had left the SD card in his school trousers and his mum had put them in the wash, ultimately destroying all photo evidence of Hyunjin’s transformation. As for the journal, Seungmin really did lose it, as it turned up in the lost property box, all pages intact, a couple weeks later. Seungmin couldn’t work out if he had actually done something so foolish, or if it was at the hands of the dark witches, nonetheless it didn’t matter anymore. Hyunjin’s origin story was to remain a secret, to never be passed on from the only five people in the world who knew it. 

Hyunjin thanked him, genuinely appreciating the beautiful pictures as he admired Seungmin’s camerawork. Felix went next. “So, I didn’t really know what to get you exactly, but after thinking long and hard I thought of the perfect gift.” Suddenly, Felix jumped up and ran off behind a tree. Hyunjin was puzzled, until he saw a long-haired chihuahua leap into view. “Felix!”

“Whoops, sorry. He got away from me there.” Felix laughed, grabbing the dog and rejoining the circle. “I was thinking about how you said you missed your animal friends, so I went to the animal shelter and got you this little guy, hi!” Felix cooed, playing with the dog’s paw. 

“Felix, you did what?!” Seungmin exclaimed, in disbelief. 

“It’s alright, he spoke to my dad about it and everything, he’s cool with it.” Jisung waved it off, Felix handing the puppy over to Hyunjin who looked like he’d just won the lottery. Hyunjin smiled ear to ear, running his fingers through the fur, the small creature nudging it’s jaw into the palm of his hand, already taking a liking to Hyunjin. 

“Felix, I really cannot thank you enough, this is the best present ever.” Hyunjin felt like he could cry on the spot, but this time from extreme elation. 

Jisung coughed, reaching into his bag. “Well, I don’t think this will top that, but this is from me.” He brought out a white, rectangular box with a familiar logo of a fruit on the side. “Well, actually this is from me and my dad... mostly my dad, he paid for it.” Hyunjin opened the box, his new puppy sitting comfortably in his lap. His face fell, gravely. 

“Oh, no, I cannot accept this, it is too much!”

“Hey, dad was planning on getting you a phone anyway, so he could contact you when he needed to, and all that.”

“But, it is expensive, is it not?” Hyunjin shook his head slightly, shocked at all the kindness he was receiving. Jisung assured him that it was okay, and to just promise him not to have long _long_ late night calls with Jeongin for the walls were thin, and Jisung needed his beauty sleep. There was one person left. 

A flatter rectangular package appeared in Hyunjin’s view, Jeongin’s arm attached to it. “Happy birthday.” He whispered. Tearing the wrapping paper away, Hyunjin felt his heart clench when he saw what it was. A framed, coloured drawing of an oak tree. That looked exactly like Hyunjin had, as an oak tree. Jeongin smiled. “You helped me realise that if I want something, then I should go for it. I told my dad that I’m applying to an arts college next year. He got so mad but I don’t care. He’ll get over it. But I wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t kept reminding me that I could. Thank you, for that.” 

The tears that had managed to stay on his waterline finally gave in and gushed down, Hyunjin completely overwhelmed with emotion. “Get a room.” Jisung gagged as Hyunjin stamped Jeongin’s face with kisses. 

“Tell that to them.” Jeongin shot back, referring to Seungmin and Felix who were looking way too lovingly at each other for being _just friends_ , as Seungmin tried to wipe chocolate from the corners of Felix’s mouth with a tissue. Both of them broke away awkwardly, and Jeongin smirked. He turned back to Hyunjin. “I have one more present for you.” 

Handing the puppy back to Felix, Hyunjin let Jeongin lead him away from the picnic and they entered through another clearing. They were back at the same-old campfire site, except something was new. In the same spot that Hyunjin had once been rooted for eight-hundred years, was now a tiny, freshly planted oak sapling. Hyunjin remembered immediately. “From the gardening club?”

Oh, right, the gardening club. Hyunjin returned to school, his popularity as high as ever, and he continued to spread good word of gardening, when he discovered recycling. Then climate change, and pollution, and resource depletion, not to mention he finally learnt what deforestation was. It was like a whole new world opened up, so many environmental issues had been created, causing a deep bubble of anger in Hyunjin. He spent any and all free time he had - when he wasn’t busy learning how to read and write - attending any opportunities to help the planet. The five still ran the gardening club, and they could see there was a paradigm shift in their school, other students learning to be environmentally aware also. 

Jeongin wrapped his arms around Hyunjin’s waist, leaning his head into his chest so he could hear his heartbeat. “Oak trees can live up to about a thousand years old. We can come back in ten, in twenty, in fifty years and this oak tree will still be here, waiting for us.” He looked up into Hyunjin’s eyes. “And we will come back. In ten years, in twenty, in fifty. And we’ll still be together, standing here, the very first place we ever met.” 

Hyunjin closed his arms tighter around Jeongin. “And you call me cheesy.” Jeongin hit his chest lightly, both of them letting out gleeful laughs, before going back to watching the tiny plant, praying they would be able to watch it grow for a lifetime. 

Jeongin never thought he would feel this happy and content, and he definitely didn’t think he would feel it looking at a plant. If there’s anything this entire experience has taught him, it’s that sometimes you should stop and appreciate your surroundings, as you never know what kind of joyful happiness could be hiding in plain sight... like a tree in a forest. 

And, as for the cold? Well, maybe the cold didn’t really bother him anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: ahhhhhh I can’t believe it’s finally finished I feel like I’m gonna be sick. in a good way. I started this at the beginning of december, thinking it would just be a one shot that I wrote to get this idea out of my system but here we are, a month later and I’ve finally completed my first book :D thank you so so so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it :)) I hope to post more fics soon, so pls look forward to it okay bye ty again <3


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